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diff --git a/44235-8.txt b/44235-0.txt index a0070da..7da37c9 100644 --- a/44235-8.txt +++ b/44235-0.txt @@ -1,41 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Memoirs of the Dukes of Urbino, Volume II (of -3), by James Dennistoun, Edited by Edward Hutton - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: Memoirs of the Dukes of Urbino, Volume II (of 3) - Illustrating the Arms, Arts, and Literature of Italy, from 1440 To 1630. - - -Author: James Dennistoun - -Editor: Edward Hutton - -Release Date: November 21, 2013 [eBook #44235] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEMOIRS OF THE DUKES OF URBINO, -VOLUME II (OF 3)*** - - -E-text prepared by Suzanne Lybarger, Linda Cantoni, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images -generously made available by Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries -(https://archive.org/details/toronto) - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 44235 *** Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. @@ -186,7 +149,7 @@ OF LITERATURE AND ART UNDER THE DUKES DI MONTEFELTRO AT URBINO CHAPTER XXVI - Mediæval art chiefly religious--Innovations of Naturalism, + Mediæval art chiefly religious--Innovations of Naturalism, Classicism, and Paganism--Character and tendencies of Christian painting ill-understood in England--Influence of St. Francis 157 @@ -202,7 +165,7 @@ OF LITERATURE AND ART UNDER THE DUKES DI MONTEFELTRO AT URBINO Giovanni Sanzi of Urbino--His son, the immortal Raffaele--Early influences on his mind--Paints at Perugia, - Città di Castello, Siena, and Florence--His visits to Urbino, + Città di Castello, Siena, and Florence--His visits to Urbino, and works there 216 CHAPTER XXIX @@ -347,7 +310,7 @@ ILLUSTRATIONS by Bissolo. (Photo Alinari) 76 Portrait of a lady in mourning. After the picture by - Pordenone in the Dresden Gallery. (Photo R. Tammé) 84 + Pordenone in the Dresden Gallery. (Photo R. Tammé) 84 S. Martin and S. Thomas with Guidobaldo, Duke of Urbino, and Bishop Arrivabeni. After the picture by Timoteo Viti @@ -837,7 +800,7 @@ CHAPTER XXV CHAPTER XXVI - Mediæval art almost exclusively religious 157 + Mediæval art almost exclusively religious 157 The introduction of types and traditionary forms 157 @@ -1016,7 +979,7 @@ CHAPTER XXVIII 1495. He goes to the school of Perugino 223 - 1500-1504. His earliest independent works at Città + 1500-1504. His earliest independent works at Città di Castello 225 " " Returns to paint at Perugia 226 @@ -1154,7 +1117,7 @@ CHAPTER XXXI Portrait there of himself and nephews 289 - Painted by Melozzo da Forlì 290 + Painted by Melozzo da Forlì 290 His brother Giovanni della Rovere 291 @@ -1664,7 +1627,7 @@ CHAPTER XXXVIII " " Francesco Maria visits his Duchess 445 - " Nov. Fründesberg brings the lansquenets + " Nov. Fründesberg brings the lansquenets into Lombardy 445 " The Duke's plans of defence considered 446 @@ -2035,9 +1998,9 @@ IL CASTELLO DI SINIGAGLIA] Gianpaolo Baglioni having fled to Siena, Valentino followed him in that direction, after taking possession of Perugia, and learning -that Città di Castello, abandoned by the adherents of the Vitelli, +that Città di Castello, abandoned by the adherents of the Vitelli, had been plundered by his own partizans. On the 18th of January, -hearing at Città della Pieve of the blow struck by his father against +hearing at Città della Pieve of the blow struck by his father against the Orsini, and that Fabio, who escaped the snare at Sinigaglia, was ravaging the Campagna, he handed over Paolo and the Duke of Gravina to the tender mercies of Michelotto, whose noose quickly @@ -2104,7 +2067,7 @@ gave matters another aspect, and occasioned surprise to those who knew the cruel perfidy of their new master. Various notorious abuses were put down under severe penalties, especially the acceptance of presents by judges, and the following up of private vengeance. -The deputy governor, Giovanni da Forlì, was however a man of quite +The deputy governor, Giovanni da Forlì, was however a man of quite opposite temperament, whose harshness soon counteracted these gentler influences, and occasioned general disgust. But the people heard with satisfaction the tragedy of Sinigaglia; for to the perfidy @@ -2188,7 +2151,7 @@ weapons to their own destruction, for-- [Footnote 7: - "Neque enim lex æquior ulla + "Neque enim lex æquior ulla Quam necis artifices arte perire sua." OVID. _Ar. Amat._ i. 655.] Alexander and his son perceiving that they could no longer turn to @@ -2370,8 +2333,8 @@ append a brief list of authorities for the Borgia:-- LEONETTI, _Papa Alessandro VI._ (1880). D'EPINOIS, in _Revue des Questions Historiques_ (April, 1881). VEHON, _Les Borgia_ (1882). - MARICOURT, _Le Procès des Borgia_ (1883). - YRIARTE, _César Borgia_ (1887). + MARICOURT, _Le Procès des Borgia_ (1883). + YRIARTE, _César Borgia_ (1887). ---- _Autour des Borgias_ (1891).] [Footnote *11: I am not quite clear what this means. The Inquisition @@ -2446,7 +2409,7 @@ influence was now irretrievably gone. City. Family. Date. Campaign. Imola Riarii Nov. 27, 1499 First. - Forlì Riarii Jan. 12, 1500 First. + Forlì Riarii Jan. 12, 1500 First. Rimini Malatesta Oct. 10, 1500 Second. Pesaro Sforza Oct. 21, 1500 Second. Faenza Manfredi April 25, 1501 Second. @@ -2454,7 +2417,7 @@ influence was now irretrievably gone. Urbino Montefeltri June 21, 1502 Third. Camerino Varani July 29, 1502 Third. Sinigaglia Roveri Dec. 28, 1502 Third. - Città di Castello Vitelli Jan. 2, 1503 Third. + Città di Castello Vitelli Jan. 2, 1503 Third. Perugia Baglioni Jan. 6, 1503 Third. Siena Petrucci Jan. (end), 1503 Third. @@ -2519,7 +2482,7 @@ The example of Urbino was quickly followed by Sinigaglia, Pesaro, and the other principalities; and by October, a confederacy for their common maintenance and defence, under oaths and a mutual bond of 10,000 ducats, was organised by these three states, along with -Camerino, Perugia, Piombino, Città di Castello, and Rimini, in all +Camerino, Perugia, Piombino, Città di Castello, and Rimini, in all which the exiled seigneurs had resumed their ascendancy. It was a condition of this league, that no step or engagement should @@ -2599,7 +2562,7 @@ Consistory stood in such awe, as Giulio della Rovere. Yet did his master-spirit overcome all opposition. On the day preceding the conclave he effected a reconciliation with the Spaniards, and his ancient rival Ascanio Sforza sought his friendship. As he rode to -enter upon its duties, the cortège of attendant prelates equalled +enter upon its duties, the cortège of attendant prelates equalled that which usually swelled the train of an elected pope. Before the door was closed, bets of eighty-two to a hundred were made on his success, one hundred to six being offered against any other @@ -2665,7 +2628,7 @@ and Cesenatico, whereupon the messenger reported him to the Doge as "a good Christian, but in want of some one to counsel him." In this exigency, Cesare proposed to surrender to the Pope the -citadels of Cesena, Bertinoro, Forlì, and Forlimpopoli, as a means +citadels of Cesena, Bertinoro, Forlì, and Forlimpopoli, as a means of immediately arresting the progress of their assailants, and of cutting short the schemes of Venice, offering to serve the Church during the rest of his life in any capacity that was thought @@ -2733,7 +2696,7 @@ ground of his dangerous character. At length he made his escape by a rope-ladder or cord, under circumstances so fool-hardy as to be ascribed by the country people to supernatural aid, and reached the King of Navarre, who gave him the command of an expedition against -the Count de Lérin. On the 10th of March, 1507, he fell into an +the Count de Lérin. On the 10th of March, 1507, he fell into an ambuscade near Viane, and was cut to pieces fighting desperately. By a singular coincidence, his stripped and plundered body, having been recognised by a servant, was interred in the church of Pampeluna, the @@ -2741,12 +2704,12 @@ archbishopric of which had been his earliest promotion. Short as was his life (for he seems to have died under thirty) he had survived all his dignities and distinctions, realising the distich of Sannazaro, - "CÆSAR, he aimed at all, he vanquished all; + "CÆSAR, he aimed at all, he vanquished all; In all he fails, a CYPHER in his fall."[17] [Footnote 17: - "Omnia vincebas, sperabas omnia Cæsar; + "Omnia vincebas, sperabas omnia Cæsar; Omnia deficiunt, incipis esse nihil."] Valentino's was a character peculiar to Spain, with which Pizarro @@ -2779,7 +2742,7 @@ festivities for his own restoration and for the election of Julius, he performed the journey in a litter, his gout preventing him from riding. On the eleventh day, being the 20th of November, he was met at the Ponte Molle by a superbly caparisoned mule, and on it was -painfully but honourably escorted by an imposing cortège to his +painfully but honourably escorted by an imposing cortège to his apartment in the Vatican, under a salute from the artillery of St. Angelo. Notwithstanding his fatigue, he was bidden by the impatient Pontiff to supper that evening, and was received by his Holiness on @@ -2875,7 +2838,7 @@ confederates, the death of the Pope, and the Duke's restoration to his rights. The garrisons of Cesena and Bertinoro had surrendered ere Guidobaldo -took the field, that of Forlì came to terms as soon as his troops +took the field, that of Forlì came to terms as soon as his troops appeared. With it passed the last wreck of the Borgian substantial power and vast ambition, within a year from the death of Alexander, leaving to future times no memorial but a name doomed to lasting @@ -2973,7 +2936,7 @@ These events served to aggravate the jealousy of the Venetians against the claims of Julius upon their recent acquisitions of Romagna, which they regarded as fairly conquered from Borgia. They possessed in this way the states of Ravenna, Faenza, and Rimini, and -had gained footing upon the territories of Imola, Forlì, and Cesena, +had gained footing upon the territories of Imola, Forlì, and Cesena, the inhabitants of which loudly complained of their aggressions. Of all these places the Church was the acknowledged superior, and the old investitures held under her by their respective princely @@ -3032,7 +2995,7 @@ into the pay of Julius for his expedition against Bologna. The Pope, elated by the ease with which so formidable an opponent had been disposed of, pressed on preparations for attacking the Bentivoglii. He reached Urbino on the 25th of September, accompanied by twenty-two -cardinals, with a suitable cortège, and a guard of four hundred men. +cardinals, with a suitable cortège, and a guard of four hundred men. Beyond the walls he was received by forty-five noble youths, dressed in doublets and hose of white silk, who, on his alighting, seized as their perquisite his richly caparisoned mule, which was afterwards @@ -3409,7 +3372,7 @@ author's charming letters, will find there many more attractive and not less veracious touches of the Montefeltrian court, where learning and accomplishment were often called upon to give dignity and grace to social pastimes. Thus, the Duchess is represented as -singing to her lute those verses from the fourth _Æneid_, in which, +singing to her lute those verses from the fourth _Æneid_, in which, at the moment of self-immolation, Dido apostrophised the garments forgotten by her faithless lover when he fled from her charms, until, Orpheus-like, she had wiled the savage animals from their lairs, and @@ -3534,7 +3497,7 @@ its fostering influence were fully developed those fine qualities which nature and early training had formed in Castiglione. His first essay was as captain of fifty men-at-arms, with 400 ducats of nominal pay, besides allowances; and his earliest exploit in -this new service was the reduction of Forlì, in 1504. The finances +this new service was the reduction of Forlì, in 1504. The finances of Guidobaldo were necessarily at a low ebb, and it is amusing to find Baldassare's frequent lamentations to his mother, over the arrears of his pay:--"Our doings are jolly but inconsiderable, that @@ -3908,7 +3871,7 @@ sovereignty she became distinguished as a patroness of letters. The intimacy which sprang up between this princess and Bembo has given rise to some controversy as to the purity of its platonism, a discussion into which we need not enter. The life of the lady, the -writings of the Abbé, and the morals of their time combine to justify +writings of the Abbé, and the morals of their time combine to justify suspicion, where proofs can hardly be looked for.[*45] "But if their solemn love were crime, @@ -3980,7 +3943,7 @@ have accepted this dignity unwillingly, but having done so, he had the good sense at all events to "cleanse the outside of the cup and platter." His mistress was now dead; he laid aside poetry, literature, and pagan idioms, and, devoting himself to theological -studies, at which he had formerly sneered in the habit of an abbé, +studies, at which he had formerly sneered in the habit of an abbé, he entered holy orders at the mature age of sixty-nine. In 1541 he succeeded Fregoso, his early companion at Urbino, in the bishopric of Gubbio, to which was added that of Bergamo. How little these @@ -4089,7 +4052,7 @@ LUNGO, _La Recitazione dei Menaechmi in Firenze e il doppio prologo della Calandria_, in the _Arch. Stor. Ital._, series III., vol. XXII., pp. 346-51. Machiavelli's estimate of Bibbiena will be found in _Lettere Famil. di N. Machiavelli_, Firenze, 1883, p. 304, -"Bibbiena, hora cardinale, in verità ha gentile ingegno, ed è homo +"Bibbiena, hora cardinale, in verità ha gentile ingegno, ed è homo faceto et discreto, et ha durato a' suoi di gran fatica."] His personal beauty obtained for him the adjunct of _bel_ Bernardo, @@ -4275,7 +4238,7 @@ GENERAL LIFE. CECCHI, _La Donna e la famiglia Italiana del Secolo XIII. al sec. XVI._, in _Nuova Antologia_ (new series), vol. XI., fasc. 19-20. -FRATI, _La Donna Italiana secondo i più recenti studi_ +FRATI, _La Donna Italiana secondo i più recenti studi_ (Torino, 1889). VARCONI, _La Donna Italiana descritta da Scrittrici Italiane @@ -4284,7 +4247,7 @@ in una serie di Conferenze_ (Firenze, 1890). VELLUTI, _Cronica Domestica_ (Firenze, 1887). DAZZI, _Alcune lettere familiari del sec. XIV._ in -_Curiosità Letterarie_, fasc. XC. (Bologna, 1868). +_Curiosità Letterarie_, fasc. XC. (Bologna, 1868). ANON., _Difesa delle Donne_ (Bologna, 1876). @@ -4390,11 +4353,11 @@ _et seq._ PELISSIER, _Le Trousseau d'une Siennoise en 1450_, in _Boll. Senese_, vol. VI., fasc. 1. -SANSOVINO, _Venetia città nobilissima e singolare_ (1663), +SANSOVINO, _Venetia città nobilissima e singolare_ (1663), fol. 150 _et seq._ -YRIARTE, _La vie d'un Patricien de Venise au 16me siècle_ -(Les femmes à Venise) (Paris, 1874), and see rare authorities there +YRIARTE, _La vie d'un Patricien de Venise au 16me siècle_ +(Les femmes à Venise) (Paris, 1874), and see rare authorities there quoted. In Venice, the prescribed bridal dress seems to have been that of Titian's Flora--the hair fell free on the shoulders. The _Proveditori alle Pompe_ were established in Venice in 1514. @@ -4579,11 +4542,11 @@ scorched, and the fruitless vines shrivelled under an ardent sun.[56] [Footnote 56: - "Una stagion fu già, che sì il terreno + "Una stagion fu già , che sì il terreno Arse, che 'l sol di nuovo a Faetonte De' suoi corsier parea aver dato il freno: Secco ogni pozzo, secco era ogni fonte, - Gli stagni, i rivi, e i fiumi più famosi, + Gli stagni, i rivi, e i fiumi più famosi, Tutti passar si potean senza ponte." ARIOSTO, _Satira_ iii. @@ -4669,8 +4632,8 @@ uncle's death, mentions his partaking of the last sacraments from the Bishop of Fossombrone, in these terms, "Quiquidem Deos illi superos atque manes placavit"? Such idioms will not bear retranslation. The expression employed by Castiglione, though tinged with the cold -formality of classicism, is less startling: "Ut ungeretur more sanctæ -matris ecclesiæ rogavit." But a pagan taint may often be sadly traced +formality of classicism, is less startling: "Ut ungeretur more sanctæ +matris ecclesiæ rogavit." But a pagan taint may often be sadly traced upon the devotion of this age. In the first volume of Vaissieux's _Archivio Storico d'Italia_, the last hours of a convict, condemned at Florence in 1500, are thus narrated by an eye-witness:--Pietro @@ -4681,7 +4644,7 @@ an ordinary _viaticum_. Refusing to be shriven by any but a friar of St. Mark's, he adjured an attendant friend to aid in getting Brutus out of his head, in order that he might make a Christian end. Nor was this heterodoxy exclusively Italian. Cervantes, in a -recently recovered fragment, _El Buscapié_, says, "I dislike to see +recently recovered fragment, _El Buscapié_, says, "I dislike to see the graceful and pious language befitting the Christian muse mingled with the profane phraseology of heathenism. Who can be otherwise than displeased to find the name of God, of the Holy Virgin, and @@ -4751,7 +4714,7 @@ It is too long to quote. Cf. LUZIO and RENIER, _Mantova e Urbino_ The body was borne on shoulders to Urbino during the following night, surrounded by multitudes carrying torches, their numbers swollen, as they advanced, by influx of the country population through which the -funeral cortège passed. Castiglione, who accompanied it, describes +funeral cortège passed. Castiglione, who accompanied it, describes the night as one of mysterious dread, in which the wailing of the people ever and anon was broken upon by piercing shrieks echoed from the mountains, and repeated by the distant howling of alarmed @@ -4767,7 +4730,7 @@ gold, and black velvet slippers; to which was added the mantle of the Garter, in dark Alexandrine velvet, with a hood of crimson velvet, lined with white silk damask. -[Illustration: _R. Tammé_ +[Illustration: _R. Tammé_ PORTRAIT OF A LADY IN MOURNING @@ -4940,18 +4903,18 @@ compliment paid to her character, in that author's sketch of the Urbino sovereigns, bears upon it a stamp of truthful earnestness rarely found in his rhetorical periods.[62] -[Footnote 62: "Itaque multas sæpè feminas vidi, audivi etiàm esse -plures, quæ certarum omninò virtutum, optimarum quidem illarum atque -clarissimarum, sed tamèn perpaucarum splendore illustrarentur: in -quâ verò omnes collectæ conjunctæque virtutes conspicerentur, hæc -una extitit, cujus omninò parem atque similem aut etiam inferiorem -paulò, non modò non vidi ullam, sed ea ubi esset etiàm ne audivi +[Footnote 62: "Itaque multas sæpè feminas vidi, audivi etià m esse +plures, quæ certarum omninò virtutum, optimarum quidem illarum atque +clarissimarum, sed tamèn perpaucarum splendore illustrarentur: in +quâ verò omnes collectæ conjunctæque virtutes conspicerentur, hæc +una extitit, cujus omninò parem atque similem aut etiam inferiorem +paulò, non modò non vidi ullam, sed ea ubi esset etià m ne audivi quidem."--Bembo de Guidobaldo.] An anonymous and now lost complimentary poem, written about 1512, and formerly in the library of S. Salvadore at Bologna, celebrated Elisabetta's charitable aid in the establishment of a _monte di -pietà_,[63] at Fabriano, and alluded to her prudent government of +pietà _,[63] at Fabriano, and alluded to her prudent government of the state in the Duke's absence. The terms of affection with which she regarded her husband's adopted heir underwent no change after her bereavement; and his marriage to her niece Leonora Gonzaga @@ -5093,13 +5056,13 @@ because of the old. Burckhardt, one of the greatest students of our time, seems to have understood this also with his usual happiness. M. Auguste Gerard tells us in his notice of the life of its author, which serves as a Preface to the French edition of _Le Cicerone_, -that "Burckhardt en vrai disciple de la Renaissance considérait -l'Italie comme un tout continu; et dans l'histoire de l'art de même -que dans l'énumération des oeuvres, il ne séparait pas l'Italie -antique de l'Italie moderne. La section du _Cicerone_ qui était -dédiée à l'architecture commençait aux temples de Paestum pour -finir aux villas Napolitaines et Génoises des XVIIe et XVIIIe -siècles." In that idea lies the future of all criticism.] +that "Burckhardt en vrai disciple de la Renaissance considérait +l'Italie comme un tout continu; et dans l'histoire de l'art de même +que dans l'énumération des oeuvres, il ne séparait pas l'Italie +antique de l'Italie moderne. La section du _Cicerone_ qui était +dédiée à l'architecture commençait aux temples de Paestum pour +finir aux villas Napolitaines et Génoises des XVIIe et XVIIIe +siècles." In that idea lies the future of all criticism.] The feeble hold which the popes retained over their temporal power during their residence at Avignon, and during the great @@ -5144,7 +5107,7 @@ its genial influence was unknown in some other petty courts. Again, if we turn to the papal throne, we shall find the accomplished Nicolas, Pius, Sixtus, Julius, and Leo, sitting alternately with the Boeotian Calixtus, Paul, Innocent, and Alexander. From an impartial -review of Italian mediæval history it appears that democratic +review of Italian mediæval history it appears that democratic institutions were by no means indispensable to the expansion of genius, since the progress of letters and arts was upon the whole nearly equal in the republics and the seigneuries, under the tyranny @@ -5289,7 +5252,7 @@ happily combined enthusiasm for classic models with the power to rival them in a language simultaneously matured by themselves for the daring undertaking. The fifteenth century arrived; it was an epoch of reaction; one of other tendencies and tastes, when genius, -as Ginguené has happily observed, was superseded by erudition. +as Ginguené has happily observed, was superseded by erudition. Entering the path which Petrarch had partially explored, its pioneers neglected the better portion of his example. They spent their energies in rummaging obscure recesses of monastic libraries, @@ -5396,7 +5359,7 @@ alone mind was then exercised, or its operations studied. The rival system of Plato came directly from its native soil; and was first publicly taught in Italy early in the fifteenth century, by Gemistus Plato,[*67] of Constantinople. It attracted the notice of Cosimo -PATER PATRIÆ, who after having Marsilio Ficino, son of his +PATER PATRIÆ, who after having Marsilio Ficino, son of his physician, grounded in its mysteries by Greeks of learning, placed him at the head of an academy in Florence, instituted by himself for the dissemination of its doctrines. From thence these radiated, @@ -5453,7 +5416,7 @@ continues largely to benefit. with which he was hailed by Cosimo de' Medici. Cf. Ficino in preface to his _Plotini Epitome_ (Firenze, 1492). "Magnus Cosimus, quo tempore concilium inter Graecos et Latinos, sub Eugenio pontefice -Florentinæ tractabatur, philosophum Graecum, nomine Gemistum +Florentinæ tractabatur, philosophum Graecum, nomine Gemistum cognomine Plethonem, quasi Platonem alterum de mysteriis Platonicis disputantem frequenter audivit; e cujus ore ferventi sic afflatus est protinus, sic animatus, ut inde Academiam quandam alta mente @@ -5863,7 +5826,7 @@ from it in II. of the Appendix proves that the Leyden edition of 1651 is in fact a loose paraphrase of the work.[73] [Footnote 73: The MS. is No. 497-8 of the Vat. Urb. MSS. An edition -in folio was published at Bâle in 1546.] +in folio was published at Bâle in 1546.] * * * * * @@ -5899,7 +5862,7 @@ charming and exquisite work, _Vite degli uomini Illustri_ (Firenze, (1892), vol. XX., p. 258, and vol. XXIV., p. 276. (2) FRIZZI, _Di Vespasiano da Bisticci e delle sue biografie_ (Pisa, 1887).] -[Footnote 75: _Spicilegium Romanum_, tom. I. (Romæ, 1839). Vat. Urb. +[Footnote 75: _Spicilegium Romanum_, tom. I. (Romæ, 1839). Vat. Urb. MSS. 941.] * * * * * @@ -6047,7 +6010,7 @@ Castiglione family. "Disce, puer, virtutem ex me, verumque laborem; Fortunam ex aliis." - _Æneid_ XII., 345. + _Æneid_ XII., 345. Dryden has missed the point of this passage.] @@ -6099,7 +6062,7 @@ recommended a young divine to avoid reading St. Paul's Epistles, lest they might mar his style. [Footnote 79: "Quid autem ineptius quam, toto seculo renovato, -religione, imperiis, magistratibus, locorum vocabulis, ædificiis, +religione, imperiis, magistratibus, locorum vocabulis, ædificiis, cultu, moribus, non aliter audire, loqui, quam locutus est Cicero? Si revivisceret ipse Cicero, rideret hoc Ciceronianorum genus."--ERASMUS.] @@ -6122,7 +6085,7 @@ him from the task, and which may account for, if it cannot excuse, the superficial character of the narrative, the poverty of graphic details, and the teasing absence of dates. On the composition, too, his classic mania has left its withering traces. It was his ambition -here to rival the Commentaries of Cæsar; and, in perfecting the +here to rival the Commentaries of Cæsar; and, in perfecting the idiom of a dead language, he has constrained freedom of thought, and polished away the life and spirit of his theme. We have examined his pages, as an indispensable authority upon events which occupy several @@ -6139,7 +6102,7 @@ upon the fulsome flattery and elaborate verbiage which he labours to reduce into Ciceronian terseness. Though entitled a "Book," the whole occupies but a hundred pages in the octavo edition of his works (1567), whereof scarcely one third is original matter. It is -addressed to Nicolò Tiepolo, a literary gentleman of Venice, and +addressed to Nicolò Tiepolo, a literary gentleman of Venice, and professes to have been committed to writing for the satisfaction of some Venetians who, feeling an interest in Guidobaldo as their former guest, had applied to the father of Bembo for some account of @@ -6198,7 +6161,7 @@ sixteenth century, but the style and substance alike render it unpalatable to modern amateurs of light reading. His Latin treatise _De Imitatione_ is a dull defence of his Ciceronian mannerisms; his essay in the same language upon Virgil and Terence a laboured -philological critique; his _De Ætna Liber_ a report of physical +philological critique; his _De Ætna Liber_ a report of physical observations during an early residence near that volcano. His poetry, both Latin and Italian, enjoyed high reputation at a period when imitations of Petrarch had degenerated into common-place; for he @@ -6340,7 +6303,7 @@ the number and variety of his compositions. He sought audiences in many cities of Italy and Provence for his prelections in grammar and philosophy, as well as for his improvisations of Latin or Italian verse; and among the numerous patrons he thus courted was the good -King René, who bestowed on him the laurel crown, a guerdon which his +King René, who bestowed on him the laurel crown, a guerdon which his rude numbers ill-deserved at the hands of that graceful troubadour. Tiraboschi makes no allusion to his intercourse with Duke Federigo, whereof we know little beyond two works which he inscribed to that @@ -6353,7 +6316,7 @@ and pentameters, entitled _Martiados_, an obvious imitation of his father's _Sfortiados_. The theme is thus set forth in a dedication to the Duke of Urbino:-- - "Primus et in Martem quæ sint pia fata Tonantis, + "Primus et in Martem quæ sint pia fata Tonantis, Et manibus nati monstra parenta refert; At liber et bellis laudatque et honore secundus, Et gestis magnum rebus in orbe Ducem." @@ -6420,13 +6383,13 @@ feeling. In the dedicatory address he thus speaks of his volume:-- Pur che 'l non sia di tutto il vano orciuolo Col qual l'aqua si tira, da le donne Che feciono ai mariti si gran duolo. - Ogni casa non è posta in colonne; - Ognuno esser non può Dante o Patrarcha; + Ogni casa non è posta in colonne; + Ognuno esser non può Dante o Patrarcha; Ognun non porta pretiose gonne. Ma spesse volte piccoletta barcha Arriva in luoco, ove andando s'anniegha - Tal grossa nave che molto è men charcha. - De! s'al huom val quanto il Signor più priegha, + Tal grossa nave che molto è men charcha. + De! s'al huom val quanto il Signor più priegha, China la fronte altiera a questa scorza, Ch'in questo mio arbor del pieta non niegha. Et come il navichare hor poggia, hor orza, @@ -6439,8 +6402,8 @@ feeling. In the dedicatory address he thus speaks of his volume:-- Inverno asciugha, e primavera inverde, Tal varia e nostra externa et mental voglia. Ma tristo chiunque indarno il tempo perde, - Ch'è peggio ch'esser rozzo e senza lima, - Però che chi non è mai non riverde. + Ch'è peggio ch'esser rozzo e senza lima, + Però che chi non è mai non riverde. De! leggi, Signor mio, la vulghar ryma, Et sia ti un modo da cacciar la noia, Quando di gran facciende hai maggior stima." @@ -6454,12 +6417,12 @@ Gentile Bellini. Hor confess'io che sei fra gli altri degno, D'haver qual hebbe Apelle ogni alto honore. Veduta ho l'opra tua col suo cholore, - La venustà col suo sguardo benegno, + La venustà col suo sguardo benegno, Ogni suo movimento et nobil segno Che ben demonstri il tuo gientil valore. Gientile! io t'ero affectionato assai, - Parendomi la tua virtu più rara - Che soglia esser l'ucciel che è solo al mondo; + Parendomi la tua virtu più rara + Che soglia esser l'ucciel che è solo al mondo; Ne pingier sa chi da te non impara, Che gloria a quegli antiqui hormai tolta hai, In chi questa arte postha ogni suo pondo. @@ -6498,7 +6461,7 @@ the manuscript. * * * * * -Another _protégé_ of Duke Federigo was PORCELLIO PANDONIO, +Another _protégé_ of Duke Federigo was PORCELLIO PANDONIO, of Naples,[*84] whose pen was ever at command of the readiest patron, as historiographer or laureate. From his partiality to the designations of bard and secretary to Alfonso of Naples, it would @@ -6513,7 +6476,7 @@ which it is his object vividly to portray. In his printed work, on the campaigns of 1451-2, between Venice and Milan, he uniformly disguises Sforza and Piccinino, their respective commanders, as Scipio and Hannibal, under which _noms de guerre_ it requires a -constant effort to recognise mediæval warriors, or to recollect +constant effort to recognise mediæval warriors, or to recollect that we are considering events dating some two thousand years after those who really bore them had been committed to the dust. The same affectation, common to many authors of his day, mars his unpublished @@ -6532,10 +6495,10 @@ prowess in three thousand Virgilian verses. Its merits may be fairly appreciated from extracts already given,[86] and from this allusion to the state of Italy at the outbreak of the war:-- - "Jamque erat Ausoniæ populos pax alta per omnes, + "Jamque erat Ausoniæ populos pax alta per omnes, Et tranquilla quies: jam nulli Martis ad aras Collucent ignes; jam victima nulla cadebat. - Dantur thura Jovi; fumabat oliva Minervæ: + Dantur thura Jovi; fumabat oliva Minervæ: Sus erat in pretio, Cereris aptissima sacris, Pampineique dei caper, et qui vitibus amens Officit, atque merum ante aras cum sanguine fundit." @@ -6544,8 +6507,8 @@ to the state of Italy at the outbreak of the war:-- of Alphonso I. of Aragon and of Naples, and later the secretary and familiar of Sigismondo Malatesta. Porcellio seems to have hated Basinio, another court poet, whose works, with a long commentary, -have been published (BATTAGLINI, _Basinii, Parmensis Poetæ -Opera Præstantiora_ (Rimini, 1794)). Basinio seems to have proved +have been published (BATTAGLINI, _Basinii, Parmensis Poetæ +Opera Præstantiora_ (Rimini, 1794)). Basinio seems to have proved before the Court of Rimini that Porcellio was ignorant of Greek. "One can be a fine Latin poet without knowing Greek," he answered in a rage, but truly enough. Basinio, however, asserted that not only @@ -6578,7 +6541,7 @@ e docum. per la vita di Giov. Santi e di Raffaello Santi da Urbino_ (Modena, 1870); GUERRINI, _Elogio Stor. di Giov. Santi_ (Urbino, 1822); SCHMARZOW, _Giovanni Santi der Vater Raffaels_, in _Kunstchronik_ (Leipsig), An. XXIII., No. 27; SCHMARZOW, _Giovanni -Santi_ in _Vierteljahrsschrift für Kultur und Lett. der Renaissance_ +Santi_ in _Vierteljahrsschrift für Kultur und Lett. der Renaissance_ (Leipsig), vol. II., Nos. 2-4. Cf. also CROWE & CAVALCASELLE, _History of Painting in Italy_, vol. III.] @@ -6638,7 +6601,7 @@ detailed analysis of the work, as we have formerly drawn upon its most valuable portions for the history of Duke Federigo. When considering the state of the fine arts, we shall have to notice a very important part of the poem touching upon that subject--an -æsthetic episode on the art and artists of his day, which is +æsthetic episode on the art and artists of his day, which is introduced on occasion of the Duke's visit to Federigo I., Marquis of Mantua. In regard to the merit of this epic, due allowance must be made for the taste of the age. Its great length necessarily infers a @@ -6699,7 +6662,7 @@ his contemporaries:-- "Che el facto d'arme se devea fare Sol per due cose, e l'altre lassar gire: - L'uno è per lo avantagio singolare + L'uno è per lo avantagio singolare E grande oltra misura; e in caso extremo Si deve l'huomo a la fortuna dare." @@ -6718,7 +6681,7 @@ finely:-- Che noi facciam per questo falso mondo, Anzi un pugno di terra al ver narrare, Dove, con tanto afanno e tanto pondo, - De dì e nocte, e inextimabil cure, + De dì e nocte, e inextimabil cure, Cerchiam sallire in alto e andamo al fondo. Qual e quel si potente che asicure Ogi la vita sua per l'altro giorno, @@ -6799,7 +6762,7 @@ generous Countess of Urbino," runs thus: Forsa che la natura in paradiso Per aiuto sali ad informarte, E poi per divin arte - A gloria de se eterna giù te trasse. + A gloria de se eterna giù te trasse. Qual oro si micante s'aguagliasse Cum sua chiareza a tui biondi capegli! E gli occhi, ch'a vede gli @@ -6816,11 +6779,11 @@ mother of Battista Countess of Urbino. Viso di dea e d'angioli a favella. Ma questa donna, ch'a la mente diva, - Depinge di honestà omne suo gesto: + Depinge di honestà omne suo gesto: Non pur suo guardo honesto, Ma li suo panni, gridan' pudicitia. - Questa madonna è el mar' de tutto el senno + Questa madonna è el mar' de tutto el senno Renchiuso, e posto dentro da bel ciglio, Chi vuol vecchio consiglio Recinga ai teneri anni di costei. @@ -6849,18 +6812,18 @@ deplores:-- Le cui memorie sempre al mondo fixe Sonno e seranno; e ben certo si crede, Mentre sta el mondo e la natura in pede - Ch'ogni virtù dal cielo in lui venisse. + Ch'ogni virtù dal cielo in lui venisse. Quello mi piango, e mai ho 'l viso asciutto; Quel chiamo, quel mi sogno, e quel mi stringo Ai labri, sculpto in cara tavletta; - La qual, così machiata del mio lucto, + La qual, così machiata del mio lucto, Adoro, honoro in verso, e vivo el fingo, Per lenimento di mia vita abiecta."[90] [Footnote 90: See a translation of these lines, vol. I., p. 269.] But, in addition to his miscellaneous avocations, Veterani was a -copious versifier. Besides an epic, De Progenie Domus Feretranæ, +copious versifier. Besides an epic, De Progenie Domus Feretranæ, there are other volumes of poetry, apparently his, remaining unedited in the library,[91] of which he continued custodian until the reign of Francesco Maria I. One of those beautiful manuscripts, the fair @@ -6883,7 +6846,7 @@ eclipse of his sovereign's dynasty:[92]-- Quem modo vel semper fas est lugere parentem, Et dominum qui me nutriit,) atque diu Pagina testis erit, lacrymis interlita multis, - Hæc tibi, qui moesta hæc carmina pauca legis. + Hæc tibi, qui moesta hæc carmina pauca legis. Et si dissimilis conclusit littera librum, Scriptorem ignarum me dolor ipse facit." @@ -6911,7 +6874,7 @@ While enumerating in our twenty-first chapter the celebrities of Duke Guidobaldo's court, we mentioned Bernardo Accolti, and endeavoured to explain the inadequacy of his published works to sustain his contemporary reputation, by supposing that his strength lay in -extemporé recitation. The high place which his vanity claimed, in +extemporé recitation. The high place which his vanity claimed, in assuming "the Unique" as a surname, appears to have been freely accorded by the most able of his contemporaries. Ariosto says of him, not perhaps without a sneer at his notorious conceit,-- @@ -6935,7 +6898,7 @@ Italian courtlets, a celebrity from which posterity has withheld its seal. A solution of this success may perhaps be found in the circumstance that many of these owed it either to personal popularity or to their musical accomplishments. Thus SERAFINO D'AQUILA, -who either improviséed his verses, or chanted them to his own +who either improviséed his verses, or chanted them to his own accompaniment on the lute, was generally preferred to Petrarch. He died at thirty-four, in 1500, after being sought by all the petty sovereigns from Milan to Naples, and ere two generations had @@ -6996,7 +6959,7 @@ Marche e per l'Umbria_, vol. III., p. 181 _et seq._] the theatre:-- "'BOTH WARS ABROAD AND SPORTS AT HOME - GREAT CÆSAR PATRONISED; + GREAT CÆSAR PATRONISED; LIKE DOUBLE CARE BY MIGHTY MINDS 'MONGST US SHOULD STILL BE PRIZED.' @@ -7133,7 +7096,7 @@ entertainment, and the racy humour of the dialogue. In order to let these be appreciated, an analysis larger than our space can permit would be necessary, and neither the character nor the wit of the piece could be preserved without introducing intrigues and language -repugnant to modern decency. Ginguené has conveyed a tolerable +repugnant to modern decency. Ginguené has conveyed a tolerable idea of the comedy without greatly shocking the reader, but has consequently suppressed much of its fun, and to his pages we must refer for detail.[98] The story turns upon the adventures of twins, @@ -7205,7 +7168,7 @@ whom he writes.] In no language, perhaps, does there exist a jest-book more disgustingly prurient or so full of sacrilegious ribaldry as -the _Facetiæ_ of Poggio Bracciolini. Were such a work published +the _Facetiæ_ of Poggio Bracciolini. Were such a work published now-a-days, the author would be hooted from society, and the printer laid hold of as a common nuisance. Though the parties to above half its obscene anecdotes are from the clergy or the monastic orders, @@ -7256,7 +7219,7 @@ when unsustained by public and private virtue."[101] CHAPTER XXVI - Mediæval art chiefly religious--Innovations of Naturalism, + Mediæval art chiefly religious--Innovations of Naturalism, Classicism, and Paganism--character and tendencies of Christian painting ill understood in England--influence of St. Francis--Mariolatry. @@ -7329,7 +7292,7 @@ classical.] [Footnote 105: A large picture of the Glorification of the Madonna, long placed in the Belle Arti at Florence, was painted by Sandro Botticelli for Matteo Palmieri, who, in his Dantesque poem entitled -_La Città della Vita_, has advanced a theory that, in Lucifer's +_La Città della Vita_, has advanced a theory that, in Lucifer's rebellion, a certain number of angels assumed a neutral attitude, as a punishment for which they were doomed to a term of trial in the quality of human souls. Although never printed, this work was @@ -7463,7 +7426,7 @@ divine grace, in order that we may attain to a good beginning and ending of all our undertakings, whether of word or work, prefacing all in the name and to the honour of the MOST HOLY TRINITY. And since spiritual things are, and should be, far preferable and -more precious than temporal, let us commence by regulating the fête +more precious than temporal, let us commence by regulating the fête of our patron, the venerable and glorious St Luke," &c. Several subsequent rules relate to the observance of other festivals, whereof fifty-seven are enjoined to be strictly kept without working, a @@ -7536,7 +7499,7 @@ borrowed from ordinary life, is to detract from the awe and mystery whereof they ought to be especially suggestive. But here it may be well to premise that, our observations upon -Christian art being purely æsthetical, it forms no part of our plan +Christian art being purely æsthetical, it forms no part of our plan to analyse its influences in a doctrinal view, or to discuss the Roman system of teaching religion to the laity, by attracting them to devotional observances through pictures and sculpture, to the @@ -7627,7 +7590,7 @@ authorised, fresh novelties. The modifications thus introduced have been distinguished in modern phrase by the term naturalism, in contradistinction to those traditional forms and spiritualised countenances which constitute -the mysticism of mediæval art. It would lead us too far from +the mysticism of mediæval art. It would lead us too far from our subject to trace the progress of naturalism from such early symptoms as we have indicated, until portraits, at first interponed as donors of the picture, or as spectators of its incident, were @@ -7697,7 +7660,7 @@ long forgotten, but at length reviving lore. The "new manner," as it was called, had, in Michael Angelo, a supporter whose mighty genius lent to its solecisms an irresistible charm. Yet against such innovations protests were long occasionally recorded. An anonymous -writer, in 1549, mentions a _Pietà_, said to have been designed +writer, in 1549, mentions a _Pietà _, said to have been designed by "Michael Angelo Buonarroti, that inventor of filthy trash, who adheres to art without devotion. Indeed, all the modern painters and sculptors, following the like Lutheran [that is, impious] caprices @@ -7729,7 +7692,7 @@ or Verrocchio, or Mantegna?] The brief sketch which we have thus introduced of the progress and tendency of Christian art, may be fittingly concluded by the definition of it supplied by Baron v. Rumohr, one of the laborious, -learned, and felicitous expositors of mediæval art whom the reviving +learned, and felicitous expositors of mediæval art whom the reviving taste of later times produced. "It is consecrated to religion alone; its object is sometimes to induce the mind to the contemplation of sacred subjects, sometimes to regulate the passions, by awakening @@ -7788,7 +7751,7 @@ Sienese paintings can be understood only after long examination and elevated thought. The former, therefore, gratify the unintelligent many, the latter delight an enlightened few. -The difficulty of justly appreciating this branch of æsthetics is +The difficulty of justly appreciating this branch of æsthetics is greater among ourselves than is generally imagined, as our best authorities have entirely misled us, from themselves overlooking its true bent. More alive to the naturalism and technical merits @@ -7806,7 +7769,7 @@ and insipid," and avers that until Masaccio, art was so barbarous, explanation applicable to assertions thus inconsistent at once with fact and with sound criticism, in a writer so candid and generally so careful. Living in an age devoid of Catholic feeling (we employ -the phrase in an æsthetic sense), which classed in the same category +the phrase in an æsthetic sense), which classed in the same category of contempt all painting before Michael Angelo, and speaking of "an excellence addressed to a faculty which he did not possess," he assumed, without observation or inquiry, that "the simplicity @@ -7904,7 +7867,7 @@ such tastes among ourselves, as is too generally supposed. The present reaction in favour of Romanist views, prevalent in England among a class of persons, many of whom are distinguished by high and cultivated intellect, as well as by youthful enthusiasm, takes -naturally an æsthetic as well as theological direction. The faith +naturally an æsthetic as well as theological direction. The faith and discipline, which they labour to revive, having borrowed some winning illustrations and much imposing pageantry from painting, sculpture, and architecture, their neophytes gladly avail themselves @@ -8008,7 +7971,7 @@ to despise. This influx of treasure had the usual destination of monastic wealth, being chiefly dedicated to the decoration of its sanctuary. During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries the best artists in Italy competed for its embellishment, and even now it -is there that the student of mediæval art ought most to seek for +is there that the student of mediæval art ought most to seek for enlightenment. With the legends of St. Francis thus indelibly stamped on the @@ -8269,7 +8232,7 @@ students whose minds were preoccupied by tales of St. Francis, and thus it is unnecessary here to notice them further. The Sienese school is in an entirely different category. Without encumbering ourselves at present by the definitions and distinctions of German -æsthetic criticism, we shall merely remark that the painters of +æsthetic criticism, we shall merely remark that the painters of Siena, from Guido until late in the fifteenth century, never lost sight of that sentimental devotion which we have already described as the soul of Christian art, and which so curiously pervades the @@ -8341,7 +8304,7 @@ to his style would be useless.[130] That the painters connected with Gubbio in the following generation may have been formed under his instructions, is however a conjecture fairly admissible. -[Footnote 130: The Ordo Officiorum Senensis Ecclesiæ, a MS. of 1215, +[Footnote 130: The Ordo Officiorum Senensis Ecclesiæ, a MS. of 1215, in the library of Siena, has been ascribed to him, by confusion with another Oderico, a canon there; it possesses no artistic merit whatever.] @@ -8667,7 +8630,7 @@ less by angelic choirs of cherubim and seraphim, than by the great ones of the earth in their trappings of dignity; and of all sacred themes, the Epiphany, or adoration of the Magi kings at the stable of Bethlehem, was his choice. Such is the magnificent altar-panel -which he wrought in 1423, for the church of the S. Trinità at +which he wrought in 1423, for the church of the S. Trinità at Florence, now one of the most precious monuments in the Belle Arti there. Still more gorgeous is his crowded composition painted for the Zeni of Venice; but there he has contaminated the purist spirit @@ -8697,7 +8660,7 @@ lines and compartments, such as we see in the Dutch gardens of the seventeenth century. But to this question we must return. Among the artists who maintained in Umbria the influences left -by Ottaviano and Gentile, two were of special merit, NICOLÒ +by Ottaviano and Gentile, two were of special merit, NICOLÃ’ ALUNNO, of Foligno, and BENEDETTO BONFIGLI, of Perugia. Their works have been often confounded, but with the latter only have we to do, for, besides being nearer to Gentile both in age and in manner, he @@ -8719,7 +8682,7 @@ other hand, we contrast the placid features which Vannucci uniformly limned, rarely ruffled by sorrow, never clouded by sin, with the furious mien and restless energy of Michael Angelo's creations, we may well credit Vasari's story of their quarrel, and can account -for the scrimp justice accorded to the painter of Città della Pieve +for the scrimp justice accorded to the painter of Città della Pieve by his Florentine biographer. They pretend not, indeed, to the bold character of Signorelli, nor even to the severity of Mantegna, or Piero della Francesca; but those who criticise them as stiff, @@ -8964,7 +8927,7 @@ blind during five lustres; a circumstance which, though not entirely inconsistent with his cultivation of the exact sciences, would occasion an impediment not likely to be passed over by him, when pleading as an apology the disabilities of age. The researches of -Abbé Pungeleoni have, however, established that no such calamity +Abbé Pungeleoni have, however, established that no such calamity had befallen our painter in 1469, when he was the guest of Giovanni Sanzi, at Urbino; and it is no way referred to in Pacioli's dedication, written in 1494, while he was still alive. Altogether, @@ -9041,7 +9004,7 @@ is introduced a detached group of three figures in conversation, magnificently attired, who are generally called at Urbino the successive sovereigns Oddantonio, Federigo, and Guidobaldo I.; but their ages, compared with that of the painter, are irreconcileable -with such a supposition. The Abbé Pungeleoni, in his _Life of +with such a supposition. The Abbé Pungeleoni, in his _Life of Sanzi_, considers them to represent Count Guidantonio and his successors, Oddantonio and Federigo; or they may more probably be portraits of Oddantonio and the two evil counsellors who led him and @@ -9071,7 +9034,7 @@ decorations and very clever perspective; a variety of figures are introduced, but the subjects are not known.[*153] To these, and still more to some of his earlier productions, may be applied the observation of Fra Castiglione, that "the works of Pietro, and those -of his contemporary, Melozzo da Forlì, with their perspective effects +of his contemporary, Melozzo da Forlì, with their perspective effects and intricacies of art, are appreciated by connoisseurs rather than admired by the uninitiated."[*154] @@ -9082,7 +9045,7 @@ painted after the visit of Justis of Ghent, it can hardly represent Oddantonio. See below, ch. xxx.] [Footnote 152: It is very unsatisfactorily engraved in -BONNARD'S _Costumes du Treizième au Quinzième Siècle_.] +BONNARD'S _Costumes du Treizième au Quinzième Siècle_.] [Footnote *153: None of these three belongs to Piero.] @@ -9105,7 +9068,7 @@ The important influence of Pietro del Borgo upon Umbrian art is confirmed by Vasari, in naming among his scholars Perugino and Signorelli, the latter of whom worked at Urbino in 1484, and again, ten years later. But were our information as to his pupils more -ample, we might probably find among them Melozzo da Forlì, to whom, +ample, we might probably find among them Melozzo da Forlì, to whom, and to other names connected with the duchy we shall return in our thirty-first chapter. Prominently among its painters, Lanzi has enumerated Bartolomeo Corradi, who became a predicant friar by the @@ -9126,7 +9089,7 @@ the church of the Zoccolantines at Sinigaglia, in which two accessory figures probably represent the Prefect Giovanni della Rovere and his wife, the sister of Duke Guidobaldo I.; but their marriage only took place about the supposed time of this painter's death; and, at all -events, had the Abbé ever seen it, he could not have mistaken it for +events, had the Abbé ever seen it, he could not have mistaken it for a sketch of the altar-piece of S. Bernardino. The latter remains in the Brera, at Milan, among the unrestored French plunder; and I have sought in vain for other identified works of Carnevale in the duchy, @@ -9290,12 +9253,12 @@ CHAPTER XXVIII Giovanni Sanzi of Urbino--His son the immortal Raffaele--Early influences on his mind--Paints at Perugia, - Città di Castello, Siena, and Florence--His visits to + Città di Castello, Siena, and Florence--His visits to Urbino, and works there. With GIOVANNI SANZI[*161] we have already made acquaintance -as an epic poet. The patient labour of the Abbé Pungeleoni, and +as an epic poet. The patient labour of the Abbé Pungeleoni, and the critical acumen of Passavant, have amply refuted Malvasia's spiteful, and Lanzi's careless but often quoted assertions, that the father of Raffaele was an obscure potter, or, at best, an @@ -9349,7 +9312,7 @@ partakes generally of the Umbrian character,--grave, reflective, self-possessed, without aiming at dramatic effect or artificial embellishment, yet not deficient in variety, or graceful expression. More severe than Perugino, he approaches the serious figures of -Melozzo da Forlì, but subdues their naturalism by an infusion of +Melozzo da Forlì, but subdues their naturalism by an infusion of devotional sincerity and simple feeling. He is partial to slender forms and delicately drawn feet and hands, but the contours are dark and hard, the flesh-tints dull and heavy, tending to cold gray in the @@ -9390,7 +9353,7 @@ pronounce a satisfactory judgment as to the master, from the load of over-painting in oil. Though called a Madonna and Child, it seems rather a gentle mother, who, having hushed her babe to sleep upon her knee, reads from the breviary on a stand by her seat, and the -composition and attitudes present a charming naïveté and natural +composition and attitudes present a charming naïveté and natural expression. Connoisseurs agree in rejecting its claims as a work of Raffaele; nor does it quite resemble his father's usual type, though it is difficult to substitute any more plausible theory for the @@ -9401,7 +9364,7 @@ belongs to the pencil of a merciless restorer. [Footnote *161: See works quoted p. 138, note *1 _supra_.] [Footnote 162: _Elogio Storico di Giovanni Santi_; Rafael von Urbino. -The few facts of importance which the Abbé's microscopic researches +The few facts of importance which the Abbé's microscopic researches have ascertained are scarcely extricable from the confusion that prevails in his eulogy and its accompanying, or rather darkening, notes. The catalogue of Sanzi's works is useful to travellers, though @@ -9414,7 +9377,7 @@ to appreciate a mouldering MS. than a fine painting.] [Footnote 165: See Appendix III.] -[Illustration: Rafaello Sanzi di Anni Sei nato il dì 6 apr. 1483 +[Illustration: Rafaello Sanzi di Anni Sei nato il dì 6 apr. 1483 Sanzi Padre dipinse _Gio. Sanzi pinx._ _L. Ceroni sculp._ @@ -9483,7 +9446,7 @@ Dennistoun (Edinburgh, 1842).] [Footnote 167: We have already accounted for the change of his surname to Sanzio, at p. 216. His Christian name, in modern Italian -Raffaello, seems to have been spelt by himself Raphællo and Raffaele. +Raffaello, seems to have been spelt by himself Raphællo and Raffaele. *Raphael was born on Good Friday, 28 March, 1483.] [Illustration: _Anderson_ @@ -9641,7 +9604,7 @@ without the Sacraments of the Church, rests on no good foundation.] [Footnote *175: The first independent picture which he painted after coming to Perugia was the _Crucifixion_, now in the possession of Mr. Ludwig Mond. This was painted in 1501 or early in 1502, because the -Vitelli for whom it was painted were driven out of Città di Castello +Vitelli for whom it was painted were driven out of Città di Castello in the latter year. I know nothing of any return to Urbino in 1499. He went back in 1504.] @@ -9659,9 +9622,9 @@ Italy banished from his thoughts the congenial pursuits of peace, and he repaired to Venice to take part in the coming strife. There was little inducement for the young Sanzio to establish himself at the board of an ungracious stepmother, so he set forth to try -his fortunes at the neighbouring capital of Vitelli, and Città di +his fortunes at the neighbouring capital of Vitelli, and Città di Castello was enriched by the first works undertaken on his own -account. One of these, S. Nicolò di Tolentino crowned by the Madonna, +account. One of these, S. Nicolò di Tolentino crowned by the Madonna, has disappeared in the rapine of the French revolutionary invasion; but another altar-picture of the Crucifixion, lately obtained from the Fesch Gallery by Lord Ward, enables us to appreciate @@ -9671,7 +9634,7 @@ Perugino in which he was assisted by his pupil; and such as best know the paintings of that master at his happiest moment, can most appreciate the compliment of classing with them the unaided though imitative efforts of a lad of seventeen. The Sposalizio of the -Madonna, abstracted from Città di Castello by the French, and now at +Madonna, abstracted from Città di Castello by the French, and now at Milan, is of four years later date, being marked 1504; but it was little more than a repetition of a similar work of his master, which, during the same havoc, was carried across the Alps, and remains at @@ -9766,7 +9729,7 @@ recommendation, which he received from her on setting out. "From Urbino, 1st October, 1504. - "JOANNA FELTRIA DE RUVERE, Ducissa Soræ et Urbis + "JOANNA FELTRIA DE RUVERE, Ducissa Soræ et Urbis Prefectissa." [Footnote 179: Pietro Sodarini, Gonfaloniere for life. The original @@ -9820,7 +9783,7 @@ S. SEBASTIAN _After the picture by Timoteo Viti in the Palazzo Ducale, Urbino_] -In an æsthetic view, the paintings and drawings executed by Raffaele +In an æsthetic view, the paintings and drawings executed by Raffaele at Florence are of infinite importance, but it would lead us much too far to examine the progressive development and naturalist tendencies which they display. We have not attempted to separate his various @@ -9932,7 +9895,7 @@ of that order: it was painted by the Duke's command in commemoration of his receiving this distinction; and in all probability was carried as a present to Henry VII. by Castiglione, in 1506, when he went to London as proxy at his master's installation. There it -graced the palace of the Tudors and Stuarts until sold for £150 by +graced the palace of the Tudors and Stuarts until sold for £150 by the Commonwealth to Lord Pembroke. It was subsequently purchased by Catherine of Russia from the Crozat Collection, in which it is engraved. @@ -10452,7 +10415,7 @@ to have left 16,000 ducats, including 5000 in cash, to be divided for the most part among his friends and household; the house of Bramante,[188] which he purchased for 3000 ducats, he has given to the Cardinal [Bibbiena] of S. Maria in Portico. He was buried at the -Rotonda, whither he was borne by a distinguished cortège. His soul +Rotonda, whither he was borne by a distinguished cortège. His soul is beyond a doubt gone to contemplate those heavenly mansions where no trouble enters, but his memory and his name will linger long on earth, in his works and in the minds of virtuous men.--Much less @@ -10652,7 +10615,7 @@ of Lippo Dalmasio, of whom we have already spoken,[192] a lunette in fresco, representing the Madonna and Child between two saints, which is over the door of S. Procul at Bologna. There we find a pensive cast of head gently bent on one side in dreamy contemplation,--the -sweetly naïve features, with less indeed of a divine or seraphic +sweetly naïve features, with less indeed of a divine or seraphic expression than we see in those imagined by the Florentine and Sienese masters, but whose look seems to indicate that, though of earth, their owner was not earthy,--though a child of fallen @@ -10734,7 +10697,7 @@ Office. Two altar-pictures by Timoteo remain in the cathedral-sacristy of his native city,[*194] besides a St. Apollonia in the church of -the Trinità. These exhibit much soft expression and devotional +the Trinità . These exhibit much soft expression and devotional feeling, combined with considerable breadth of execution; yet they scarcely possess the simple sentiment of the earlier Umbrian artificers, the noble character of Sanzi, or the fervour and finish @@ -10774,7 +10737,7 @@ the Sibyls is generally admitted. [Footnote *194: In the Cathedral sacristy is the St. Martin and St. Thomas of 1504, with the founders beside them. In the Pinacoteca there is a half figure of S. Sebastian, the figures of S. Roch and of -Tobias with the Angel. The S. Apollonia, once in S. Trinità is now in +Tobias with the Angel. The S. Apollonia, once in S. Trinità is now in the Gallery. Of these, the S. Sebastian, S. Roch, and Tobias show the influence of Giovanni Santi, the other two the influence of Raphael.] @@ -10852,7 +10815,7 @@ pictorial works were produced, and where some frescoes may still be seen, meriting no ordinary meed of approbation, and particularly distinguished by fidelity in portraits and accuracy of architectural perspective; qualities learned, doubtless, from the productions of -Melozzo da Forlì and Piero della Francesca. Of these mural paintings, +Melozzo da Forlì and Piero della Francesca. Of these mural paintings, the most interesting remains in the church of the Canepa, at Pavia, and exhibits the artist presenting a model for that building to its founder, Duke Gian Galeazzo Sforza, his Duchess, and his mother. @@ -10993,7 +10956,7 @@ FRA BERNARDO CATELANI was a Capuchin monk of Urbino, whose devotion sought scope in the exercise of Christian art, and who is generally considered a follower of Raffaele, although this is doubted by Grossi. Nor does it much matter, for the only work now identified -with his name is an altar-piece of the Pietà with two attendant +with his name is an altar-piece of the Pietà with two attendant saints, in the church of his order at Cagli. Still less is known of one CROCCHIA of Urbino, named by Baldinucci as a pupil of Raffaele. His countryman, Centogatti, is said to have exercised @@ -11081,7 +11044,7 @@ perspective, were all more or less innovations in Italy, apart from the colour and surface produced by the new process. [Footnote 200: _Sketches of the History of Christian Art_, Letter -VIII., especially part II., §§ 1, 2, 4, and part III., § 6.] +VIII., especially part II., §§ 1, 2, 4, and part III., § 6.] Among the followers of Van Eyck who first made their way to the Mediterranean shores was JOSSE or JUSTUS OF GHENT, who, under the @@ -11150,11 +11113,11 @@ varying from one to four and a half inches in diameter; many bear the names of well-known sculptors and painters as their artists, and exhibit a grandeur of conception unequalled in other numismatic productions.[*204] About three hundred and seventy-five such medals -have been published in the Trésor de Numismatique et de Glyptique, -and although the _procédé Collas_ there adopted in general fails +have been published in the Trésor de Numismatique et de Glyptique, +and although the _procédé Collas_ there adopted in general fails to preserve the sharpness and finish given to the originals by careful retouching, no work of art is so delightful a companion -to Italian mediæval history. Zannetti's elaborate collections on +to Italian mediæval history. Zannetti's elaborate collections on Italian coinages, and the fifth volume of Cicognara's great work upon sculpture, may also be consulted with pleasure and advantage. @@ -11181,7 +11144,7 @@ said to have ornamented the great hall of the palace with six round bas-reliefs of Duke Federigo's exploits. Seven medals of that prince have come to my knowledge, all of extreme rarity: the first five are described and engraved in the _Zecca di Gubbio_; the first, second, -and fourth in the Trésor de Numismatique; the sixth is probably +and fourth in the Trésor de Numismatique; the sixth is probably unnoticed elsewhere. The heads of all are in profile. No. I. A medallion of 3-5/8 inches diameter. The Duke's bust is in @@ -11190,7 +11153,7 @@ emblematic devices; his cap, called by the French a _mortier_, is of the usual cinque-cento form, exactly resembling a round Highland bonnet. The legend is a Latin couplet, signifying, - "HE COMES, ANOTHER CÆSAR AND ANOTHER ROMAN SCIPIO, + "HE COMES, ANOTHER CÆSAR AND ANOTHER ROMAN SCIPIO, WHETHER HE GIVES TO THE NATIONS PEACE OR FIERCE WARS." The reverse is redundant in allegory. In base, the eagle of Jove @@ -11244,7 +11207,7 @@ interest. On a medal 4-3/4 inches across, clasped round by the badge and gothic motto of the Garter, is a noble bust of Federigo in armour, his massive bald head uncovered. The reverse has five winged loves supporting an ample basin, from whence issue two grape-laden -cornucopiæ; between them the crowned eagle of Montefeltro sits on +cornucopiæ; between them the crowned eagle of Montefeltro sits on a globe of command, gazing sunward, and supporting the armorial shield of that house, with the papal arms in pale as borne by the Gonfaloniere: the contracted inscription "DUKE FE." appears @@ -11437,7 +11400,7 @@ left:-- 1. CARDINAL PIETRO RIARIO, the favourite of his Uncle Sixtus IV., who died in 1474. - 2. GIROLAMO, Lord of Forlì, and, in right of his + 2. GIROLAMO, Lord of Forlì, and, in right of his wife, Caterina Sforza, sovereign of Imola, whose name is familiar to those who have followed our narrative, and who was assassinated in 1488. Among their children were @@ -11515,7 +11478,7 @@ Savona, she had-- and his public revenues, amounting to 40,000 ducats a year, were liberally administered in the patronage of letters. - 5. NICOLÒ, who left a son Giulio. + 5. NICOLÃ’, who left a son Giulio. 6. LUCREZIA, wife of Marc Antonio Colonna, who fell at the siege of Milan, in 1522.[209] @@ -11547,7 +11510,7 @@ at his instigation in 1522: his wife was Ottavia, daughter of Giulio Colonna. A scandalous intrigue of Maria in her widowhood will be mentioned in the life of her brother,[210] but it did not prevent her finding a second husband in Galeazzo, son of Girolamo Riario, Lord of -Forlì. +Forlì. 4. COSTANZA, who died unmarried at Rome in November, 1507. @@ -11769,7 +11732,7 @@ emerged to lavish ill-gotten gold with rarely equalled prodigality; whilst in the cold and unimpassioned countenance of Giuliano, we vainly seek for those massive features, and that angry scowl, which the pencil of Raffaele subsequently immortalised. The group is -completed by the two younger nephews, Girolamo, Lord of Forlì, gawky +completed by the two younger nephews, Girolamo, Lord of Forlì, gawky and common-place in figure, with the Prefect Giovanni, of blunt and burly aspect. It would be difficult satisfactorily to render so large a group in these pages, but we give an unedited and speaking likeness @@ -11936,7 +11899,7 @@ GUGLIELMO CAOURSIN, _Obsidimis Rhodii Urbis Descriptio_ (Ulm, 1496). Cf. BURCHARD (ed. Thuasne), I., p. 528. The amount seems to have been 45,000 ducats. See especially HEIDENHEIMER, _Korrespondenz Bajazet II.'s mit Alexander -VI._, in _Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte_, vol. V., p. 511 _et +VI._, in _Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte_, vol. V., p. 511 _et seq._ As usual, Creighton's account, _op. cit._, vol. IV., is most excellent, written with the pen of a statesman. Heidenheimer maintains the authenticity of the letters, and Creighton agrees @@ -12189,14 +12152,14 @@ as well as to the perils of those troubled times. But, considering himself even there insecure, he ere long withdrew to Naples, whence, after narrowly escaping seizure by the Pope's emissaries, he again reached Ostia in an open boat. On the approach of an army under -Nicolò Count of Pittigliano, he fled thence to France, leaving the +Nicolò Count of Pittigliano, he fled thence to France, leaving the garrison in charge of the Prefect, who soon capitulated, on condition that neither he nor his brother should incur ecclesiastical censures. Grotto Ferrata was about the same time seized and delivered over to Fabrizio Colonna, on payment of 10,000 ducats. [Footnote *226: For authorities for Pope Julius II., cf. -CREIGHTON, vol. V., pp. 305-6, where an excellent _résumé_ +CREIGHTON, vol. V., pp. 305-6, where an excellent _résumé_ is given.] The outrages which the Cardinal had thus received at the hands of @@ -12260,7 +12223,7 @@ duty to beware _ne aliquid detrimenti respublica capiat_. But, not content with resisting such further "detriment to the commonwealth," and with recovering the ground recently lost, his conscience, more perhaps than his ambition, urged him to new triumphs. He was a great -pontiff after the mediæval estimate of the papacy. Little occupying +pontiff after the mediæval estimate of the papacy. Little occupying himself with the bulwarks of a faith which he presumed impregnable, or the dogmas of a church still paramount over Christendom, he considered the temporal sovereignty and aggrandisement of the Keys to @@ -12448,7 +12411,7 @@ and, as then usual, testified gratitude by the selection of his baptismal names. St. Francis was the established tutelary saint of the family, under whose guidance Sixtus IV. believed himself to have obtained the tiara, and to whom his brother the Prefect addressed his -orisons for a male child. It came into the world on the fête of the +orisons for a male child. It came into the world on the fête of the Annunciation, and was immediately christened Francesco Maria,[*230] in honour of the saint and of the Madonna. In this, his only male offspring, centred the hopes and interests of the Lord of Sinigaglia; @@ -12491,7 +12454,7 @@ relation. The lad, though small in stature for his years, was remarkable for strength and activity, as well as for an active temperament and lively talents. He was liberal, and even careless, of money; but all his pleasure was in the military art, all his -ambition centred in martial glory, for Nicolò of Fossombrone, +ambition centred in martial glory, for Nicolò of Fossombrone, and another famous astrologer, had predicted from his horoscope high deeds of arms. After passing hours in the study of history and classical literature, and of those sciences wherein princes @@ -12657,7 +12620,7 @@ bearing upon any theories of self-government, Baldi has entered into no details of these demands: their object may, however, be guessed at from the municipal concessions made by Francesco Maria on the 31st of May, whereby precedence was granted to the gonfaloniere over -the podestà; and the salaries of the city physician, lawyer, and +the podestà ; and the salaries of the city physician, lawyer, and schoolmaster were undertaken by the sovereign, who also consented to a modification of the imposts on agricultural produce.[*234] @@ -12696,8 +12659,8 @@ communities in the following terms:-- as a public instrument. From Urbino, this 25th of April, 1508. - "FRANCISCUS MARIA DUX URBINI, ALMÆ URBIS - PRÆFECTUS." + "FRANCISCUS MARIA DUX URBINI, ALMÆ URBIS + PRÆFECTUS." The deputations willingly rendered the required homage, for they considered this perpetuation of their independence as a boon doubly @@ -12741,7 +12704,7 @@ Assured of support from their ally of France, the Signory offered compliance, on condition of his going unarmed: but, spurning such terms, he, in February, moved with an army upon the valley of Trent. He was, however, effectually held in check by the Venetian generals, -Nicolò da Petigliano and Bartolomeo d'Alviano; whilst Louis, besides +Nicolò da Petigliano and Bartolomeo d'Alviano; whilst Louis, besides sending Gian Giacomo Trivulzio to their support, instigated the Duke of Gueldres to carry fire and sword into Lower Germany. Maximilian, finding his hands full, made a hasty truce with the Venetians in @@ -12831,7 +12794,7 @@ more passionate; and declares that he had never met with a more comely, merry, or sweet girl, who, to a most amiable disposition, added a surprisingly precocious judgment, which gained for her general admiration.[238] This event was hailed at Urbino with great -public rejoicings and sumptuous fêtes, and the triumphal arches, +public rejoicings and sumptuous fêtes, and the triumphal arches, theatres, and other architectural and pictorial works required for the occasion, were executed under the direction of Timoteo Vite and Girolamo Genga. In 1843 I saw, in the hands of Padre Cellani, at @@ -12912,7 +12875,7 @@ taken by surprise, but with great presence of mind he ordered an advance upon Faenza as the readiest means of restoring order. The gloom of twilight now settled down upon the camp, augmenting the embarrassment, and ere the troops evacuated it, a good many Spaniards -had been cut down in the _mêlée_. Military discipline at length +had been cut down in the _mêlée_. Military discipline at length prevailed, and the Duke, finding the town on its guard, returned to quarters. Ramocciotto's reappearance appeased the originators of the tumult, but it was not till next day that a stern inquiry detected @@ -13268,7 +13231,7 @@ he made with his cavalry upon their assailants, their officers would have given way to a general panic, and the army must have been annihilated. The coolness of their juvenile commander so far reassured them that the retiring army encamped on the morrow between -Forlì and Cesena, without much further loss than their artillery +Forlì and Cesena, without much further loss than their artillery and baggage.[243] The vast quantity of booty obtained for this misconducted affair the nick-name of "donkey-day." @@ -13862,7 +13825,7 @@ Archivio Diplomatico at Florence, and Bembo's public despatches, ii. No. 8. Roscoe has no authority whatever for representing the Duke as at this period the Pope's "formidable rival."] -When the coronation fêtes were over, he returned home to enjoy one of +When the coronation fêtes were over, he returned home to enjoy one of those brief intervals of repose which rarely fell to his lot. His almost continual absence on military service had indeed been greatly felt in his capital, and most of the distinguished men who frequented @@ -13928,7 +13891,7 @@ an imposing tower of three commodious stories built here by the Malatesta. Hither was conducted, on her first arrival, Camilla of Aragon, bride of Costanzo Sforza Lord of Pesaro; and its inaccessible situation did not prevent a splendid manifestation of the general -joy, in fêtes and pageants, commemorated in a volume of excessive +joy, in fêtes and pageants, commemorated in a volume of excessive rarity, which seem more proportioned to the affectionate gallantry of her husband and subjects, than to the resources of their state, or to the conveniences of this palace. Representations of the community @@ -14865,8 +14828,8 @@ until an opportunity offered of conciliating them by the plunder of Sta. Costanza. [Footnote *272: "Gli pareva gran vergogna della Chiesa che ad un -duchetto basti l'animo di fare questa novità; e il papa tremeva, ed -era quasi fuor di sè." Cf. GIORGI, _Relazioni Venete_, 2nd +duchetto basti l'animo di fare questa novità ; e il papa tremeva, ed +era quasi fuor di sè." Cf. GIORGI, _Relazioni Venete_, 2nd series, vol. III., p. 47.] After many complicated movements in the lower valley of the Metauro, @@ -14971,7 +14934,7 @@ a general massacre, was the Cardinal Bibbiena, not de' Medici, as accidentally misstated by Roscoe. After long employing his diplomatic talents against his former friend, the Lord of Urbino, he now compassed his final ruin by exertions of the camp, for which he was -less qualified. The mutinous _mêlée_ which he had witnessed prepared +less qualified. The mutinous _mêlée_ which he had witnessed prepared him for the discovery, that moneys raised by extraordinary exertions were ill-spent upon an army "thrice as numerous on pay-day as in action." It was, therefore, to the commissariat and finance that @@ -15651,7 +15614,7 @@ Piacenza for the Church by his means. To men in the Duke of Urbino's desperate position, any convulsion would be welcome, as offering the chance of better things. The impression left by his biographers, that he maintained a cautious neutrality in the contest thus opening, -is disproved by some documents in the Bibliothèque du Roi, which +is disproved by some documents in the Bibliothèque du Roi, which establish him as a retained adherent of the French monarch.[280] One of them is an undated draft of articles proposed by him, his nephew Sigismondo Varana, Camillo Orsini, the Baglioni, and the @@ -16004,7 +15967,7 @@ possession of Camerino, sought so to occupy the Duke of Urbino as to prevent his espousing the cause of Sigismondo, its rightful lord. The latter also looked for support to his wife's uncle, Cardinal Prospero Colonna, whilst the interests of his competitor were backed -by Cardinal Innocenzo Cibò, his brother-in-law. But ere these +by Cardinal Innocenzo Cibò, his brother-in-law. But ere these respective claims could be tested, they were sadly set at rest by the death of "poor dear but ill-starred Sigismondo," as he is called by Castiglione, who was set upon and slain on the 24th of June by @@ -16089,7 +16052,7 @@ with gold brocade coverlets, and the curtains very handsome. Next morning, after breakfast, the guests went to the palace to wait upon the Duchesses, who met them in the fourth ante-room, whence, after sundry ceremonies, they handed the ladies and their attendants into -the presence-chamber, newly done up with arrases, gilding, and a daïs +the presence-chamber, newly done up with arrases, gilding, and a daïs of silk. After conversing in an under-tone for three-quarters of an hour, they retired with the like formalities. On Easter Sunday, after vespers, they had an audience of leave, when the younger @@ -16405,7 +16368,7 @@ as they glided along the glassy surface. At length they stopped at the massive, but now crumbling, Foscari palace, to witness a race of four-oared gondolas, and concluded the entertainment with a supper on the Rialto. Next day their sports were renewed, with addition of -a déjeuner, where fancy confections were presented to the principal +a déjeuner, where fancy confections were presented to the principal guests--a triumphal chariot to Francesco Maria, an eagle to the imperial ambassador, and so forth. @@ -16699,7 +16662,7 @@ the following letter of the Bishop of Worcester to Cardinal Wolsey:-- "Your most illustrious and reverend Lordship's _Humillimum manicipium_, - "HI[~C]. EP[~S]. WIGORNIEÑ."[304] + "HI[~C]. EP[~S]. WIGORNIEÑ."[304] [Footnote 304: Brit. Mus. Cotton. MSS., Vit. B. VIII., f. 93 b. In this volume are many despatches regarding the Lombard campaign, and @@ -16875,7 +16838,7 @@ in Lombardy. The papal troops had been withdrawn; the garrison of Cremona, whose services the Venetians would not retain at his suggestion, had entered into new engagements with the enemy; fourteen thousand _lanznechts_, alias _lansquenet_ infantry, under Georg v. -Fründesberg, were marching from Germany by the Val di Sabbia to +Fründesberg, were marching from Germany by the Val di Sabbia to support the imperial cause. His first care was to check the pillage of Cremona, a service which the citizens acknowledged by presenting to him a golden vase weighing twenty pounds, and beautifully chased @@ -16889,13 +16852,13 @@ the Duke for not supporting the naval attack made by the French upon Genoa, a scheme for which we have seen him contending at an earlier period. But a passage in his own _Discorsi Militari_ expressly states the Venetian force at four thousand infantry and five thousand -cavalry, to keep in check both Fründesberg's lansquenets and ten +cavalry, to keep in check both Fründesberg's lansquenets and ten thousand men at Milan; and it explains his tactics to consist in making Cremona the centre of a line of defence, embracing Bergamo on the right, and Genoa on the left, which, being vastly too extended for his force, necessitated his keeping his men together, in order to move upon any exposed point. Accordingly, considering it most -incumbent to intercept the battalions of Fründesberg, he, after +incumbent to intercept the battalions of Fründesberg, he, after throwing garrisons into some important places on his right flank, pushed towards Mantua with about ten thousand men. Although sadly impeded by dreadful weather, and by difficulties of transport, the @@ -16915,7 +16878,7 @@ brilliancy from the attempts of some writers to elevate his fame at Francesco Maria's expense. In this unworthy effort--as on too many like occasions--Guicciardini has been followed by the historian of the Italian republics. The charges of misconduct adduced against -the Duke of Urbino, in his movement against Fründesberg, are by no +the Duke of Urbino, in his movement against Fründesberg, are by no means borne out by the more detailed accounts supplied by Leoni and Baldi. He seems to have done everything that the state of the elements would allow; and even accused himself of occasioning the @@ -16931,7 +16894,7 @@ after passed to Rome in the papal service. [Footnote 309: See above, p. 385.] -The German lansquenets, whom Fründesberg had brought into Italy, +The German lansquenets, whom Fründesberg had brought into Italy, were in fact a free company, levied by himself on a mere plundering adventure, without the pretext of pay. Alarmed at a reinforcement of so obnoxious a character, the confederates bethought themselves @@ -16988,10 +16951,10 @@ feathered tribes are said to become victims of their reptile-foe. That foe was Charles Duke of Bourbon, son of Gilbert Count de Montpensier, who died at Pozzuoli, in 1495, by Chiara Gonzaga, sister of Elisabetta Duchess of Urbino. He was next heir to the -crown of France, after Francis Duke of Angoulême, who succeeded to -it as Francis I., and Charles Duke d'Alençon, whose blood had been +crown of France, after Francis Duke of Angoulême, who succeeded to +it as Francis I., and Charles Duke d'Alençon, whose blood had been attainted for treason. Louis XII., having removed this attainder, -and restored the d'Alençon branch to their rights, incurred the deep +and restored the d'Alençon branch to their rights, incurred the deep displeasure of Bourbon, who was, however, pacified by receiving, at the age of twenty-six, the office of grand constable,--the highest dignity of the realm. He greatly distinguished himself in Francis's @@ -17042,7 +17005,7 @@ was therefore resolved upon, and as occupation and pillage were the only chances of keeping together such disorganised troops, he led them in search of both. Indifferent whether the spoils of Florence or Romagna should prove the more convenient prey, he effected a junction -with Fründesberg's new levies, whose circumstances and objects +with Fründesberg's new levies, whose circumstances and objects exactly corresponded with those of his own forces, and on the 30th of January their united divisions passed the Po. @@ -17063,7 +17026,7 @@ by Guicciardini. Judging from the results of the campaign, there can be no doubt that the imperialists ought to have been attacked at this juncture; and if a general onset had been ordered on the 13th of March, when they broke out into open mutiny, Bourbon being -obliged to fly for his life, or, a few days after, when Fründesberg, +obliged to fly for his life, or, a few days after, when Fründesberg, a monster of sacrilege and blasphemy, according to the Italian historians, died of apoplexy, they would in all probability have been totally exterminated. But they were the reserved instrument of @@ -17434,18 +17397,18 @@ followinge:-- "Ego Guido Ubaldus, Dei Gratia Dux Urbinatis, honorificentissimi atque approbatissimi Ordinis Garterii Miles et Confrater electus, -juro ad hæc sancta Dei evangelia per me corporaliter tacta, quod +juro ad hæc sancta Dei evangelia per me corporaliter tacta, quod omnia et singula statuta leges et ordinationes ipsius dignissimi Ordinis bene sincere et inviolabiliter observabo. Ita me Deus -adjuvet, et hæc sancta Dei evangelia! +adjuvet, et hæc sancta Dei evangelia! "Which othe geven, Sir Gybert Talbot shall deliver the Garter to hym, and cause the same in good and honorable manner to be put about his legge, the saide Abbott of Glastonburye sayinge audablye thes wordes followinge:-- -"Ad laudem et honorem summi atque omnipotentis Dei, intemeratæ -Virginis et Matris suæ Mariæ, ac gloriosissimi martiris Georgii, +"Ad laudem et honorem summi atque omnipotentis Dei, intemeratæ +Virginis et Matris suæ Mariæ, ac gloriosissimi martiris Georgii, hujus Ordinis Patroni, circumcingo tibiam tuam hoc Garterio, ut possis in isto bello firmiter stare et fortiter vincere, in signum Ordinis et augmentum tui honoris. @@ -17455,8 +17418,8 @@ saide Duke the gowne of purple couler, and cause hym to apparrell hymself with the same, the saide Abbot of Glastonburye sayinge thes wordes followinge, at the doinge on of the same:-- -"Accipe vestem hanc purpuream, quâ semper munitus non verearis pro -fide Christi, libertate ecclesiæ et oppressorum tuitione fortiter +"Accipe vestem hanc purpuream, quâ semper munitus non verearis pro +fide Christi, libertate ecclesiæ et oppressorum tuitione fortiter dimicare, et sanguinem effundere, in signum Ordinis et augmentum tui honoris. @@ -17477,7 +17440,7 @@ George abowt his necke, the saide Abbott saying thes wordes:-- "Imaginem gloriosissimi martiris Georgii, hujus Ordinis patroni, in collo tuo deferes, cujus fultus presidio hujus mundi prospera et adversa sic pertranseas, ut hostibus corporis et animi devictis, -non modo temporalis militiæ gloriam, sed perennis victoriæ palmam +non modo temporalis militiæ gloriam, sed perennis victoriæ palmam accipere valeas, in signum Ordinis et augmentum tui honoris." Hollinshed, following Hall, informs us that "Sir Gilbert Talbot, @@ -17536,21 +17499,21 @@ et vigesimo die quam sedere coeperat. Creatur in ejus locum Julianus, Cardinalis Sti. Petri ad Vincula, patria Ligur, dictusque est Julius Secundus. Huic postea illi tres regis oratores congratulatum inerunt, quos Hadrianus Castellensis episcopus Herefordensis, quem paulo -ante Alexander Cardinalem fecerat, Romæ hospitio excepit. Hunc rex +ante Alexander Cardinalem fecerat, Romæ hospitio excepit. Hunc rex Henricus sub idem tempus ab Herefordensi sede ad Bathoniensem ac -Wellensem transferri curavit. At Hadrianus, ut præter sua quotidiana -obsequia, quæ tam regi quam Anglis omnibus libens præstabat, aliquo -diuturniori memoriæ monumento relinqueret, apud omnes testatum se +Wellensem transferri curavit. At Hadrianus, ut præter sua quotidiana +obsequia, quæ tam regi quam Anglis omnibus libens præstabat, aliquo +diuturniori memoriæ monumento relinqueret, apud omnes testatum se memorem fuisse acceptorum beneficiorum ab Henrico, atque nomen -Anglicum amasse, donavit regi palatium magnificum quod ipse Romæ -in Vaticano ædificaverat, ornavitque regis insignibus, ut in +Anglicum amasse, donavit regi palatium magnificum quod ipse Romæ +in Vaticano ædificaverat, ornavitque regis insignibus, ut in ea luce hominum aliquod egregium opus nomini Anglico dedicatum conspiceretur.[317] Item, iidem oratores detulerunt habitum Garterii -ordinis Guidoni Duci Urbini, principi seculo nostro Latinæ Linguæ -simul ac Græcæ ac militaris disciplinæ peritissimo, quem Rex paulo +ordinis Guidoni Duci Urbini, principi seculo nostro Latinæ Linguæ +simul ac Græcæ ac militaris disciplinæ peritissimo, quem Rex paulo ante in Collegium ipsius Ordinis asciverat. Dux postea destinavit in Angliam Baldasarem Castilliorum, natione Mantuanum, equitem tam -doctrinâ quam bellicâ virtute præstantem, ut suo nomine ejus Ordinis +doctrinâ quam bellicâ virtute præstantem, ut suo nomine ejus Ordinis cerimonias exequeret. Fuit Baldaser ab Henrico perbenigne exceptus, atque comiter habitus; qui, finitis ceremoniis, non indonatus, postmodum ad suum Decem redivit."[318] @@ -17617,7 +17580,7 @@ Vicecollector's hows, wher he was lodged." [Footnote 319: I can find nothing in support of Roscoe's assertion that he was wounded while aiding Guidobaldo to recover his duchy, and -the whole facts seem to contradict it. _Leo X._, ch. vii., § 7, note. +the whole facts seem to contradict it. _Leo X._, ch. vii., § 7, note. That usually accurate writer has fallen into the mistake of ascribing to the Count's _sister_ his interment and monumental inscription in the church of the Minims, near Mantua, while the epitaph which he has @@ -18152,22 +18115,22 @@ Sinigaglia in the nave of Sta. Maria delle Grazie, runs thus:-- JOHANNES DE RUVERE, - Senogalliæ vetustissimæ civitatis - Dominus, Almæ urbis Prefectus, - Sori Arcanæque Dux, exercituum Sixti + Senogalliæ vetustissimæ civitatis + Dominus, Almæ urbis Prefectus, + Sori Arcanæque Dux, exercituum Sixti Quarti, Innocentii Octavi, summus Imperator, Maximorum Pontificium Sixti nepos, - Julii Secundi frater, cum uxore suâ - Joannâ Monfeltriâ, Federici Urbini - Ducis filiâ, præstantioribus + Julii Secundi frater, cum uxore suâ + Joannâ Monfeltriâ, Federici Urbini + Ducis filiâ, præstantioribus Et nobilioribus feminis, adversis - Secundisque rebus, conferendâ et - Preferendâ, magnum hoc templum + Secundisque rebus, conferendâ et + Preferendâ, magnum hoc templum Affundamentis erexit; et multis Egregiis tam bello quam pace actis, Procaci abreptus morte, Anno Domini MDI., - Ætatisque suæ quadragesimo quarto, + Ætatisque suæ quadragesimo quarto, Hic tumulatur. @@ -18192,7 +18155,7 @@ Pope and the Church by secretly plotting for restoration of the Bentivoglii, and for defeat of the army under command of the Duke, as well as by withdrawing to Ravenna on pretext of terror, but in fact to conceal his treason. That having, by these and many other -enormities, incurred the guilt of treason and lèse-majesty, he was +enormities, incurred the guilt of treason and lèse-majesty, he was slain by Francesco Maria; and that, on a complaint of this outrage being preferred, his Holiness, judging from the first aspect of the affair that this crime against the dignity of the purple afforded so @@ -18231,7 +18194,7 @@ a papal brief of the 10th of January, 1513, addressed to himself, wherein it was stated that he had been accused by many of maintaining intelligence with the King of France before the battle of Ravenna, and of other intrigues against the Roman Government, as well as of -various crimes, including slaughter of cardinals and lèse-majesty, +various crimes, including slaughter of cardinals and lèse-majesty, and that he had in consequence been deprived of his dukedom and dignities; but that having experienced his zeal and good faith in the like matters, the Pontiff could not persuade himself of his @@ -18248,19 +18211,19 @@ clauses. The brief is addressed, but has no counter-signature; a transumpt of it in the same archive has the name "Baldassar Tuerdus" as a counter-signature. -"Motu proprio, et ex certâ nostrâ scientiâ ac maturâ deliberatione, -et apostolice potestatis plenitudine, apostolicâ auctoritate, tenore +"Motu proprio, et ex certâ nostrâ scientiâ ac maturâ deliberatione, +et apostolice potestatis plenitudine, apostolicâ auctoritate, tenore presentium, tibi et illis plenarie remittimus pariter et indulgemus, teque ac illos, et illorum singulos, ab omnibus sententiis censuris et penis quibuslibet, spiritualibus et temporalibus, a jure vel ab -homine quomodolibet promulgatis, auctoritate scientiâ et potestate +homine quomodolibet promulgatis, auctoritate scientiâ et potestate predictis, absolvimus et liberamus, ac te tuosque filios, natos et nascituros ac heredes quoscunque, ad Vicariatum, Ducatum, Comitatus, teque ac subditos, adherentes, complices ac sequaces, ac singulorum eorundem heredes, ad feuda, dominia, honores et dignitates, offitia, privelegia, bona ac jura, ac ad actus legitimos, quibus forsan -premissorum, et aliâ quâcunque occasione, etiam de necessitate -experimendâ privati, censeri possetis, auctoritate scientiâ et +premissorum, et aliâ quâcunque occasione, etiam de necessitate +experimendâ privati, censeri possetis, auctoritate scientiâ et potestate premissis restituimus, et etiam reintegramus, et ad eundem statum reducimus et reponimus, in quo tu et illi eratis ante tempus quo premissa commisissetis; districtius inhibentes quibuscunque @@ -18372,7 +18335,7 @@ DESCENT OF THE DELLA ROVERE DUKES OF URBINO. ! | RAFFAELE. SISTO, Cardinal GERAUD | SISTA = GALEAZZO _______________________________________| ! | of S. Pietro D'ANCEZUN, RIARIO. | | | ! | in Vincula, d. 1503. | | | - ! | d. 1577. GALEOTTO, Cardinal NICOLÒ = ---- LUCREZIA = MARCANTONIO + ! | d. 1577. GALEOTTO, Cardinal NICOLÃ’ = ---- LUCREZIA = MARCANTONIO ! |______________________________________________________ of S. Pietro in | COLONNA. ! | Vincula. | !_______________________________________________________________________ | | @@ -18389,8 +18352,8 @@ DESCENT OF THE DELLA ROVERE DUKES OF URBINO. | _____________________________|_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | 1534. | 1548. | 1547. | 1548. | 1552. | - FEDERIGO, GIULIA VARANA, = GUIDOBALDO II. = VITTORIA FARNESE, IPPOLITA = DON ANTONIO GIULIA = ALFONSO D'ESTE, ELISABETTA, = ALBERICO CIBÒ, GIULIO, Cardinal - died young. d. of Giovanni | DUKE OF URBINO, | d. of Pier-Luigi, D'ARAGONA § Marq. of d. 1561. § Marquis of Archbishop of + FEDERIGO, GIULIA VARANA, = GUIDOBALDO II. = VITTORIA FARNESE, IPPOLITA = DON ANTONIO GIULIA = ALFONSO D'ESTE, ELISABETTA, = ALBERICO CIBÃ’, GIULIO, Cardinal + died young. d. of Giovanni | DUKE OF URBINO, | d. of Pier-Luigi, D'ARAGONA § Marq. of d. 1561. § Marquis of Archbishop of Maria, Duke of | b. 1514, | Duke of Parma, DI MONTALTO. Montecchio, of Massa. Urbino, 1533, Camerino, | d. 1574. | d. 1602. whom the Dukes d. 1578. b. 1523, | ! | of Modena. ! @@ -18420,7 +18383,7 @@ DESCENT OF THE DELLA ROVERE DUKES OF URBINO. | | 1637. VITTORIA, = FERDINAND II., Grand - b. 1622, § Duke of Florence, + b. 1622, § Duke of Florence, d. 1694. b. 1630, d. 1670. @@ -18428,7 +18391,7 @@ DESCENT OF THE DELLA ROVERE DUKES OF URBINO. DESCENT OF THE MEDICI, as connected with URBINO. -_From Les Généaologies Souveraines._ +_From Les Généaologies Souveraines._ GIOVANNI DE' MEDICI @@ -18439,7 +18402,7 @@ _From Les Généaologies Souveraines._ _____|_____________________ | | COSIMO DE' M., = CONTESINA LORENZO DE' M., = GINEVRA - _Pater Patriæ_, | DE' BARDI. d. 1440. | CAVALCANTI. + _Pater Patriæ_, | DE' BARDI. d. 1440. | CAVALCANTI. d. 1464. | | | | PIETRO DE' M., = LUCREZIA PIER-FRANCESCO = LAUDAMIA @@ -18456,7 +18419,7 @@ _From Les Généaologies Souveraines._ | d. 1535. | _______________|_____________________________________________________________ | | | | | | - PIETRO DE' M., = ALFONSINA GIOVANNI DE' M., GIULIANO DE' M., = FILIBERTA, MADDALENA = FRANCESCO CIBÒ, | + PIETRO DE' M., = ALFONSINA GIOVANNI DE' M., GIULIANO DE' M., = FILIBERTA, MADDALENA = FRANCESCO CIBÃ’, | d. 1504. | ORSINI. LEO X., d. 1521. _the Magnificent_, of Savoy. Count of | | Duke de Nemours, Anguillara. | | d. 1516. | @@ -18498,7 +18461,7 @@ _From Les Généaologies Souveraines._ FLORENCE, d. 1621. d. 1623. | | FERDINAND II. DE' MEDICI, = VITTORIA DELLA ROVERE, - GRAND DUKE OF FLORENCE, § Princess of Urbino. + GRAND DUKE OF FLORENCE, § Princess of Urbino. d. 1670. @@ -18517,7 +18480,7 @@ DESCENT OF THE COLONNA, as connected with URBINO. ____________________________________________|_________________ | | | ODOARDO, Duke = FILIPPA CONTI. ANTONIO, Duke of = IMPERIALE CATERINA = GUIDANTONIO, - of Marsi. | Paliano, d. 1471. | COLONNA. d. 1438. § Count of + of Marsi. | Paliano, d. 1471. | COLONNA. d. 1438. § Count of | | Urbino. __________|______ | | | | @@ -18531,7 +18494,7 @@ DESCENT OF THE COLONNA, as connected with URBINO. ______________________________| |_______ | | | ASCANIO, Grand = GIOVANNA VITTORIA, = FERDINANDO, | - Constable of § D'ARAGONA, b. 1490, Fr. Marquis | + Constable of § D'ARAGONA, b. 1490, Fr. Marquis | Naples, claimant natural d. 1548. of Pescara, | of Urbino, branch of d. 1525. | d. 1557. the Crown | @@ -18551,363 +18514,4 @@ DESCENT OF THE COLONNA, as connected with URBINO. d. 1546. VARANA, d. 1522. - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEMOIRS OF THE DUKES OF URBINO, -VOLUME II (OF 3)*** - - -******* This file should be named 44235-8.txt or 44235-8.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/4/2/3/44235 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></p> -<p>Title: Memoirs of the Dukes of Urbino, Volume II (of 3)</p> -<p> Illustrating the Arms, Arts, and Literature of Italy, from 1440 To 1630.</p> -<p>Author: James Dennistoun</p> -<p>Editor: Edward Hutton</p> -<p>Release Date: November 21, 2013 [eBook #44235]</p> -<p>Language: English</p> -<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p> -<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEMOIRS OF THE DUKES OF URBINO, VOLUME II (OF 3)***</p> <p> </p> -<h4>E-text prepared by Suzanne Lybarger, Linda Cantoni,<br /> - and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> - (<a href="http://www.pgdp.net">http://www.pgdp.net</a>)<br /> - from page images generously made available by<br /> - Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries<br /> - (<a href="https://archive.org/details/toronto">https://archive.org/details/toronto</a>)</h4> <p> </p> <table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;margin: 0 auto;" cellpadding="10"> <tr> @@ -334,11 +316,11 @@ DUKES DI MONTEFELTRO AT URBINO</span></h3> <tr><td colspan="2" class="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXV">CHAPTER XXV</a></td></tr> <tr><td>Poetry under the Montefeltri—Sonnets—The Filelfi—Giovanni Sanzi—Porcellio Pandonio—Angelo Galli—Federigo Veterani—Urbani Urbinate—Antonio Rustico—Naldio—Improvisatori—Bernardo Accolti—Serafino d'Aquila—Agostino Staccoli—Early comedies—<i>La Calandra</i>—Corruption of morals—Social position of women</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_130'>130</a></td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2" class="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVI">CHAPTER XXVI</a></td></tr> -<tr><td>Mediæval art chiefly religious—Innovations of Naturalism, Classicism, and Paganism—Character and tendencies of Christian painting ill-understood in England—Influence of St. Francis</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_157'>157</a></td></tr> +<tr><td>Mediæval art chiefly religious—Innovations of Naturalism, Classicism, and Paganism—Character and tendencies of Christian painting ill-understood in England—Influence of St. Francis</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_157'>157</a></td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2" class="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVII">CHAPTER XXVII</a></td></tr> <tr><td>The Umbrian School of Painting, its scholars and influence—Fra Angelico da Fiesole—Gentile da Fabriano—Pietro Perugino—Artists at Urbino—Piero della Francesca—Fra Carnevale—Francesco di Giorgio</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_184'>184</a></td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2" class="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVIII">CHAPTER XXVIII</a></td></tr> -<tr><td>Giovanni Sanzi of Urbino—His son, the immortal Raffaele—Early influences on his mind—Paints at Perugia, Città di Castello, Siena, and Florence—His visits to Urbino, and works there</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_216'>216</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">-vii-</a></span></td></tr> +<tr><td>Giovanni Sanzi of Urbino—His son, the immortal Raffaele—Early influences on his mind—Paints at Perugia, Città di Castello, Siena, and Florence—His visits to Urbino, and works there</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_216'>216</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">-vii-</a></span></td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2" class="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIX">CHAPTER XXIX</a></td></tr> <tr><td>Raffaele is called to Rome, and employed upon the Stanze—His frescoes there—His other works—Change in his manner—Compared with Michael Angelo—His death, character, and style</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_235'>235</a></td></tr> <tr><td colspan="2" class="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXX">CHAPTER XXX</a></td></tr> @@ -412,7 +394,7 @@ FOURTH DUKE OF URBINO</span></h3> <tr><td>Elisabetta Gonzaga, Duchess of Urbino. From a lead medal by Adriano Fiorentino in the British Museum. By the courtesy of G.F. Hill, Esq.</td><td class="vabr"><a href="#GONZAGA_MEDAL">72</a></td></tr> <tr><td>Emilia Pia. From a medal by Adriano Fiorentino in the Vienna Museum. By the courtesy of G.F. Hill, Esq.</td><td class="vabr"><a href="#PIA_MEDAL">72</a></td></tr> <tr><td>Hair dressing in the sixteenth century. After a picture by Bissolo. (Photo Alinari)</td><td class="vabr"><a href="#HAIR_16C">76</a></td></tr> -<tr><td>Portrait of a lady in mourning. After the picture by Pordenone in the Dresden Gallery. (Photo R. Tammé)</td><td class="vabr"><a href="#MOURNING">84</a></td></tr> +<tr><td>Portrait of a lady in mourning. After the picture by Pordenone in the Dresden Gallery. (Photo R. Tammé)</td><td class="vabr"><a href="#MOURNING">84</a></td></tr> <tr><td>S. Martin and S. Thomas with Guidobaldo, Duke of Urbino, and Bishop Arrivabeni. After the picture by Timoteo Viti in the Duomo of Urbino. (Photo Alinari)</td><td class="vabr"><a href="#MARTIN">88</a></td></tr> <tr><td>Baldassare Castiglione. After the picture by Raphael in the Louvre.</td><td class="vabr"><a href="#CASTIGLIONE_RAPHAEL">120</a></td></tr> <tr><td>Madonna del Belvedere. After the fresco by Ottaviano Nelli in S. Maria Nuova, Gubbio</td><td class="vabr"><a href="#MADONNA">190</a><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_x" id="Page_x">-x-</a></span></td></tr> @@ -673,7 +655,7 @@ FOURTH DUKE OF URBINO</span></h3> <h3><a href="#CHAPTER_XXVI">CHAPTER XXVI</a></h3> <table style="width: 100%" border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" summary="chronology"> -<tr><td style="width: 10%" class="vat"> </td><td style="width: 11%" class="vat"> </td><td class="vat">Mediæval art almost exclusively religious</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_157'>157</a></td></tr> +<tr><td style="width: 10%" class="vat"> </td><td style="width: 11%" class="vat"> </td><td class="vat">Mediæval art almost exclusively religious</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_157'>157</a></td></tr> <tr><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat">The introduction of types and traditionary forms</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_157'>157</a></td></tr> <tr><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat">A picture by Botticelli denounced as heretical (note)</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_158'>158</a></td></tr> <tr><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat">The choice and treatment of sacred themes</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_159'>159</a></td></tr> @@ -763,7 +745,7 @@ FOURTH DUKE OF URBINO</span></h3> <tr><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat">His appearance happily timed</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_221'>221</a></td></tr> <tr><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat">First pictorial influences on his mind</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_222'>222</a></td></tr> <tr><td class="vat">1495.</td><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat">He goes to the school of Perugino</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_223'>223</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="vat">1500-1504.</td><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat">His earliest independent works at Città di Castello</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_225'>225</a></td></tr> +<tr><td class="vat">1500-1504.</td><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat">His earliest independent works at Città di Castello</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_225'>225</a></td></tr> <tr><td class="vat"><span class="ind1">”</span><span class="ind2">”</span></td><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat">Returns to paint at Perugia</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_226'>226</a></td></tr> <tr><td class="vat"><span class="ind1">”</span><span class="ind2">”</span></td><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat">Visits Siena and Florence</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_226'>226</a></td></tr> <tr><td class="vat"><span class="ind1">”</span><span class="ind2">”</span></td><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat">Returns to paint at Urbino</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_227'>227</a></td></tr> @@ -844,7 +826,7 @@ FOURTH DUKE OF URBINO</span></h3> <tr><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat">His patronage of art</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_287'>287</a></td></tr> <tr><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat">And of the Vatican Library</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_289'>289</a></td></tr> <tr><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat">Portrait there of himself and nephews</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_289'>289</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat">Painted by Melozzo da Forlì</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_290'>290</a></td></tr> +<tr><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat">Painted by Melozzo da Forlì</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_290'>290</a></td></tr> <tr><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat">His brother Giovanni della Rovere</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_291'>291</a></td></tr> <tr><td class="vat">1474.</td><td class="vat">Oct. 12.</td><td class="vat">Made vicar of Sinigaglia</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_291'>291</a></td></tr> <tr><td class="vat"><span class="ind1">”</span></td><td class="vat"><span class="indhalf">”</span> <span class="ind1">28.</span></td><td class="vat">His marriage with Princess Giovanna of Urbino</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_291'>291</a></td></tr> @@ -1114,7 +1096,7 @@ FOURTH DUKE OF URBINO</span></h3> <tr><td class="vat"><span class="ind1">”</span></td><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat">The Colonna rebel against the Pope</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_443'>443</a></td></tr> <tr><td class="vat"><span class="ind1">”</span></td><td class="vat">Sep. 20.</td><td class="vat">They surprise Rome, and pillage the Borgo</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_444'>444</a></td></tr> <tr><td class="vat"><span class="ind1">”</span></td><td class="vat"><span class="indhalf">”</span></td><td class="vat">Francesco Maria visits his Duchess</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_445'>445</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="vat"><span class="ind1">”</span></td><td class="vat">Nov.</td><td class="vat">Fründesberg brings the lansquenets into Lombardy</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_445'>445</a></td></tr> +<tr><td class="vat"><span class="ind1">”</span></td><td class="vat">Nov.</td><td class="vat">Fründesberg brings the lansquenets into Lombardy</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_445'>445</a></td></tr> <tr><td class="vat"><span class="ind1">”</span></td><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat">The Duke's plans of defence considered</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_446'>446</a></td></tr> <tr><td class="vat"><span class="ind1">”</span></td><td class="vat">Nov. 30.</td><td class="vat">Battle of Borgoforte, and death of Giovanni de' Medici <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">delle bande nere</span></i></td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_446'>446</a></td></tr> <tr><td class="vat">1527.</td><td class="vat"> </td><td class="vat">Tortuous policy of Clement</td><td class="vabr"><a href='#Page_447'>447</a></td></tr> @@ -1406,9 +1388,9 @@ and cruelty unparalleled in the annals of human civilisation.<a name="FNanchor_5 <p>Gianpaolo Baglioni having fled to Siena, Valentino followed him in that direction, after taking possession of Perugia, and learning -that Città di Castello, abandoned by the adherents of the Vitelli, +that Città di Castello, abandoned by the adherents of the Vitelli, had been plundered by his own partizans. On the 18th of January, -hearing at Città della Pieve of the blow struck by his father against +hearing at Città della Pieve of the blow struck by his father against the Orsini, and that Fabio, who escaped the snare at Sinigaglia, was ravaging the Campagna, he handed over Paolo and the Duke of Gravina to the tender mercies of Michelotto, whose noose quickly @@ -1468,7 +1450,7 @@ gave matters another aspect, and occasioned surprise to those who knew the cruel perfidy of their new master. Various notorious abuses were put down under severe penalties, especially the acceptance of presents by judges, and the following up of private vengeance. -The deputy governor, Giovanni da Forlì, was however a man of quite +The deputy governor, Giovanni da Forlì, was however a man of quite opposite temperament, whose harshness soon counteracted these gentler influences, and occasioned general disgust. But the people heard with satisfaction the tragedy of Sinigaglia; for to the perfidy @@ -1774,7 +1756,7 @@ conquests of Cesare:—</p> <table style="width: 100%" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary="Cesare's conquests"> <tr><td style="width: 25%"><b>City.</b></td><td style="width: 25%"><b>Family.</b></td><td style="width: 25%"><b>Date.</b></td><td style="width: 25%"><b>Campaign.</b></td></tr> <tr><td>Imola</td><td>Riarii</td><td>Nov. 27, 1499</td><td>First.</td></tr> -<tr><td>Forlì</td><td>Riarii</td><td>Jan. 12, 1500</td><td>First.</td></tr> +<tr><td>Forlì</td><td>Riarii</td><td>Jan. 12, 1500</td><td>First.</td></tr> <tr><td>Rimini</td><td>Malatesta</td><td>Oct. 10, 1500</td><td>Second.</td></tr> <tr><td>Pesaro</td><td>Sforza</td><td>Oct. 21, 1500</td><td>Second.</td></tr> <tr><td>Faenza</td><td>Manfredi</td><td>April 25, 1501</td><td>Second.</td></tr> @@ -1782,7 +1764,7 @@ conquests of Cesare:—</p> <tr><td>Urbino</td><td>Montefeltri</td><td>June 21, 1502</td><td>Third.</td></tr> <tr><td>Camerino</td><td>Varani</td><td>July 29, 1502</td><td>Third.</td></tr> <tr><td>Sinigaglia</td><td>Roveri</td><td>Dec. 28, 1502</td><td>Third.</td></tr> -<tr><td>Città di Castello</td><td>Vitelli</td><td>Jan. 2, 1503</td><td>Third.</td></tr> +<tr><td>Città di Castello</td><td>Vitelli</td><td>Jan. 2, 1503</td><td>Third.</td></tr> <tr><td>Perugia</td><td>Baglioni</td><td>Jan. 6, 1503</td><td>Third.</td></tr> <tr><td>Siena</td><td>Petrucci</td><td>Jan. (end), 1503</td><td>Third.</td></tr> </table> @@ -1840,7 +1822,7 @@ each.<a name="FNanchor_13_14" id="FNanchor_13_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_14" and the other principalities; and by October, a confederacy for their common maintenance and defence, under oaths and a mutual bond of 10,000 ducats, was organised by these three states, along with -Camerino, Perugia, Piombino, Città di Castello, and Rimini, in all +Camerino, Perugia, Piombino, Città di Castello, and Rimini, in all which the exiled seigneurs had resumed their ascendancy.</p> <p>It was a condition of this league, that no step or engagement should @@ -1908,7 +1890,7 @@ Consistory stood in such awe, as Giulio della Rovere. Yet did his master-spirit overcome all opposition. On the day preceding the conclave he effected a reconciliation with the Spaniards, and his ancient rival Ascanio Sforza sought his friendship. As he rode to -enter upon its duties, the cortège of attendant<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">-27-</a></span> prelates equalled +enter upon its duties, the cortège of attendant<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">-27-</a></span> prelates equalled that which usually swelled the train of an elected pope. Before the door was closed, bets of eighty-two to a hundred were made on his success, one hundred to six being offered against any other @@ -1966,7 +1948,7 @@ and Cesenatico, whereupon the messenger reported him to the Doge as "a good Christian, but in want of some one to counsel him."</p> <p>In this exigency, Cesare proposed to surrender to the Pope the -citadels of Cesena, Bertinoro, Forlì, and Forlimpopoli, as a means +citadels of Cesena, Bertinoro, Forlì, and Forlimpopoli, as a means of immediately arresting the progress of their assailants, and of cutting short the schemes of Venice, offering to serve the Church during the rest of his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">-29-</a></span> life in any capacity that was thought @@ -2029,7 +2011,7 @@ ground of his dangerous character. At length he made his escape by a rope-ladder or cord, under circumstances so fool-hardy as to be ascribed by the country people to supernatural aid, and reached the King of Navarre, who gave him the command of an expedition against -the Count de Lérin. On the 10th of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">-31-</a></span> March, 1507, he fell into an +the Count de Lérin. On the 10th of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">-31-</a></span> March, 1507, he fell into an ambuscade near Viane, and was cut to pieces fighting desperately. By a singular coincidence, his stripped and plundered body, having been recognised by a servant, was interred in the church of Pampeluna, the @@ -2040,7 +2022,7 @@ his dignities and distinctions, realising the distich of Sannazaro,</p> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary="poem"> <tr> <td> -"<span class="smcap">Cæsar</span>, he aimed at all, he vanquished all;<br /> +"<span class="smcap">Cæsar</span>, he aimed at all, he vanquished all;<br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">In all he fails, a <span class="sm">CYPHER</span> in his fall."<a name="FNanchor_17_18" id="FNanchor_17_18"></a><a href="#Footnote_17_18" class="fnanchor">[17]</a></span> </td> </tr> @@ -2076,7 +2058,7 @@ festivities for his own restoration and for the election of Julius, he performed the journey in a litter, his gout preventing him from riding. On the eleventh day, being the 20th of November, he was met at the Ponte Molle by a superbly caparisoned mule, and on it was -painfully but honourably escorted by an imposing cortège to his +painfully but honourably escorted by an imposing cortège to his apartment in the Vatican, under a salute from the artillery of St. Angelo. Notwithstanding his fatigue, he was bidden by the impatient Pontiff to supper that evening, and was received by his Holiness on @@ -2167,7 +2149,7 @@ confederates, the death of the Pope, and the Duke's restoration to his rights.</p> <p>The garrisons of Cesena and Bertinoro had surrendered ere Guidobaldo -took the field, that of Forlì came to terms as soon as his troops +took the field, that of Forlì came to terms as soon as his troops appeared. With it passed the last wreck of the Borgian substantial power and vast ambition, within a year from the death of Alexander, leaving to future times no memorial but a name doomed to lasting @@ -2260,7 +2242,7 @@ regularly attested in notorial instruments, the solemnity ended.<a name="FNancho against the claims of Julius upon their recent acquisitions of Romagna, which they regarded as fairly conquered from Borgia. They possessed in this way the states of Ravenna, Faenza, and Rimini, and -had gained footing upon the territories of Imola, Forlì, and Cesena, +had gained footing upon the territories of Imola, Forlì, and Cesena, the inhabitants of which loudly complained of their aggressions. Of all these places the Church was the acknowledged superior, and the old investitures held under her by their respective princely @@ -2315,7 +2297,7 @@ into the pay of Julius for his expedition against Bologna. The Pope, elated by the ease with which so formidable an opponent had been disposed of, pressed on preparations for attacking the Bentivoglii. He reached Urbino on the 25th of September, accompanied by twenty-two -cardinals, with a suitable cortège, and a guard of four<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">-40-</a></span> hundred men. +cardinals, with a suitable cortège, and a guard of four<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">-40-</a></span> hundred men. Beyond the walls he was received by forty-five noble youths, dressed in doublets and hose of white silk, who, on his alighting, seized as their perquisite his richly caparisoned mule, which was afterwards @@ -2610,7 +2592,7 @@ author's charming letters, will find there many more attractive and not less veracious touches of the Montefeltrian court, where learning and accomplishment were often called upon to give dignity and grace to social pastimes. Thus, the Duchess is represented as -singing to her lute those verses from the fourth <i>Æneid</i>, in which, +singing to her lute those verses from the fourth <i>Æneid</i>, in which, at the moment of self-immolation, Dido apostrophised the garments forgotten by her faithless lover when he fled from her charms, until, Orpheus-like, she had wiled the savage animals from their lairs, and @@ -2715,7 +2697,7 @@ its fostering influence were fully developed those fine qualities which nature and early training had formed in Castiglione. His first essay was as captain of fifty men-at-arms, with 400 ducats of nominal pay, besides allowances; and his earliest exploit in -this new service was the reduction of Forlì, in 1504. The finances +this new service was the reduction of Forlì, in 1504. The finances of Guidobaldo were necessarily at a low ebb, and it is amusing to find Baldassare's frequent lamentations to his mother, over the arrears of his pay:—"Our doings are jolly but inconsiderable, that @@ -3074,7 +3056,7 @@ sovereignty she became distinguished as a patroness of letters. The intimacy which sprang up between this princess and Bembo has given rise to some controversy as to the purity of its platonism, a discussion into which we need not enter. The life of the lady, the -writings of the Abbé, and the morals of their time combine to justify +writings of the Abbé, and the morals of their time combine to justify suspicion, where proofs can hardly be looked for.<a name="FNanchor_45_46" id="FNanchor_45_46"></a><a href="#Footnote_45_46" class="fnanchor">[*45]</a></p> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary="poem"> @@ -3139,7 +3121,7 @@ have accepted this dignity unwillingly, but having done so, he had the good sense at all events to "cleanse the outside of the cup and platter." His mistress was now dead; he laid aside<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">-65-</a></span> poetry, literature, and pagan idioms, and, devoting himself to theological -studies, at which he had formerly sneered in the habit of an abbé, +studies, at which he had formerly sneered in the habit of an abbé, he entered holy orders at the mature age of sixty-nine. In 1541 he succeeded Fregoso, his early companion at Urbino, in the bishopric of Gubbio, to which was added that of Bergamo. How little these @@ -3699,7 +3681,7 @@ have wished to quit.<a name="FNanchor_60_61" id="FNanchor_60_61"></a><a href="#F <p>The body was borne on shoulders to Urbino during the following night, surrounded by multitudes carrying torches, their numbers swollen, as they advanced, by influx of the country population through which the -funeral cortège passed. Castiglione, who accompanied it, describes +funeral cortège passed. Castiglione, who accompanied it, describes the night as one of mysterious dread, in which the wailing of the people ever and anon was broken upon by piercing shrieks echoed from the mountains, and repeated by the distant howling of alarmed @@ -3717,7 +3699,7 @@ lined with white silk damask.</p> <div class="illo" style="width: 376px"><a id="MOURNING"></a> <p class="center border"><img src="images/mourning.jpg" width="376" height="500" alt="mourning" title="mourning" /></p> -<p class="cap1">R. Tammé</p> +<p class="cap1">R. Tammé</p> <p class="cap2">PORTRAIT OF A LADY IN MOURNING</p> <p class="cap3">After the picture by Pordenone in the Dresden Gallery</p> </div> @@ -3903,7 +3885,7 @@ rarely found in his rhetorical periods.<a name="FNanchor_62_63" id="FNanchor_62_ <p>An anonymous and now lost complimentary poem, written about 1512, and formerly in the library of S. Salvadore at Bologna, celebrated Elisabetta's charitable aid in the establishment of a <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">monte di -pietà</span></i>,<a name="FNanchor_63_64" id="FNanchor_63_64"></a><a href="#Footnote_63_64" class="fnanchor">[63]</a> at Fabriano, and alluded to her prudent government of +pietà </span></i>,<a name="FNanchor_63_64" id="FNanchor_63_64"></a><a href="#Footnote_63_64" class="fnanchor">[63]</a> at Fabriano, and alluded to her prudent government of the state in the Duke's absence. The terms of affection with which she regarded her husband's adopted heir underwent no change after her bereavement; and his marriage to her niece Leonora Gonzaga @@ -4070,7 +4052,7 @@ its genial influence was unknown in some other petty courts. Again, if we turn to the papal throne, we shall find the accomplished Nicolas, Pius, Sixtus, Julius, and Leo, sitting alternately with the Bœotian Calixtus, Paul, Innocent, and Alexander. From an impartial -review of Italian mediæval history it appears that democratic +review of Italian mediæval history it appears that democratic institutions were by no means indispensable to the expansion of genius, since the progress of letters and arts was upon the whole nearly equal in the republics and the seigneuries, under the tyranny @@ -4210,7 +4192,7 @@ happily combined enthusiasm for classic models with the power to rival them in a language simultaneously matured by themselves for the daring undertaking. The fifteenth century arrived; it was an epoch of reaction; one of other tendencies and tastes, when genius, -as Ginguené has happily observed, was superseded by erudition. +as Ginguené has happily observed, was superseded by erudition. Entering the path which Petrarch had partially explored, its pioneers neglected the better portion of his example. They spent their energies in rummaging obscure recesses of monastic libraries, @@ -4311,7 +4293,7 @@ alone mind was then exercised, or its operations studied. The rival system of Plato came directly from its native soil; and was first publicly taught in Italy early in the fifteenth century, by Gemistus Plato,<a name="FNanchor_67_68" id="FNanchor_67_68"></a><a href="#Footnote_67_68" class="fnanchor">[*67]</a> of Constantinople. It attracted the notice of Cosimo -<span class="smcap">Pater Patriæ</span>, who after having Marsilio Ficino, son of his +<span class="smcap">Pater Patriæ</span>, who after having Marsilio Ficino, son of his physician, grounded in its mysteries by Greeks of learning, placed him at the head of an academy in Florence, instituted by himself for the dissemination of its doctrines. From thence these radiated, @@ -4968,7 +4950,7 @@ him from the task, and which may account for, if it cannot excuse, the superficial character of the narrative, the poverty of graphic details, and the teasing absence of dates. On the composition, too, his classic mania has left its withering traces. It was his ambition -here to rival the Commentaries of Cæsar; and, in perfecting the +here to rival the Commentaries of Cæsar; and, in perfecting the idiom of a dead language, he has constrained freedom of thought, and polished away the life and spirit of his theme. We have examined his pages, as an indispensable authority upon events which occupy several @@ -4985,7 +4967,7 @@ upon the fulsome flattery and elaborate verbiage which he labours to reduce into Ciceronian terseness. Though entitled a "Book," the whole occupies but a hundred pages in the octavo edition of his works (1567), whereof scarcely one third is original matter. It is -addressed to Nicolò Tiepolo, a literary gentleman of Venice, and +addressed to Nicolò Tiepolo, a literary gentleman of Venice, and professes to have been committed to writing for the satisfaction of some Venetians<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">-126-</a></span> who, feeling an interest in Guidobaldo as their former guest, had applied to the father of Bembo for some account of @@ -5042,7 +5024,7 @@ sixteenth century, but the style and substance alike render it unpalatable to modern amateurs of light reading. His Latin treatise <i>De Imitatione</i> is a dull defence of his Ciceronian mannerisms; his essay in the same language upon Virgil and Terence a laboured -philological critique; his <i>De Ætna Liber</i> a report of physical +philological critique; his <i>De Ætna Liber</i> a report of physical observations during an early residence near that volcano. His poetry, both Latin and Italian, enjoyed high reputation at a period when imitations of Petrarch had degenerated into common-place; for he @@ -5182,7 +5164,7 @@ the number and variety of his compositions. He sought audiences in many cities of Italy and Provence for his prelections in grammar and philosophy, as well as for his improvisations of Latin or Italian verse; and among the numerous patrons he thus courted was the good -King René, who bestowed on him the laurel crown, a guerdon which his +King René, who bestowed on him the laurel crown, a guerdon which his rude numbers ill-deserved at the hands of that graceful troubadour. Tiraboschi makes no allusion to his intercourse with Duke Federigo, whereof we know little beyond two works which he inscribed to that @@ -5199,7 +5181,7 @@ the Duke of Urbino:—</p> <tr> <td> <span lang="la" xml:lang="la"> -"Primus et in Martem quæ sint pia fata Tonantis,<br /> +"Primus et in Martem quæ sint pia fata Tonantis,<br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Et manibus nati monstra parenta refert;</span><br /> At liber et bellis laudatque et honore secundus,<br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Et gestis magnum rebus in orbe Ducem."</span></span> @@ -5271,13 +5253,13 @@ Forse leggiendol' ne fia alcun dilecto,<br /> Pur che 'l non sia di tutto il vano orciuolo<br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Col qual l'aqua si tira, da le donne</span><br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Che feciono ai mariti si gran duolo.</span><br /> -Ogni casa non è posta in colonne;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Ognuno esser non può Dante o Patrarcha;</span><br /> +Ogni casa non è posta in colonne;<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Ognuno esser non può Dante o Patrarcha;</span><br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Ognun non porta pretiose gonne.</span><br /> Ma spesse volte piccoletta barcha<br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Arriva in luoco, ove andando s'anniegha</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Tal grossa nave che molto è men charcha.</span><br /> -De! s'al huom val quanto il Signor più priegha,<br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Tal grossa nave che molto è men charcha.</span><br /> +De! s'al huom val quanto il Signor più priegha,<br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">China la fronte altiera a questa scorza,</span><br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Ch'in questo mio arbor del pieta non niegha.</span><br /> Et come il navichare hor poggia, hor orza,<br /> @@ -5290,8 +5272,8 @@ Qual l'autunno ogni verde arbor spoglia,<br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Inverno asciugha, e primavera inverde,</span><br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Tal varia e nostra externa et mental voglia.</span><br /> Ma tristo chiunque indarno il tempo perde,<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Ch'è peggio ch'esser rozzo e senza lima,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Però che chi non è mai non riverde.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Ch'è peggio ch'esser rozzo e senza lima,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Però che chi non è mai non riverde.</span><br /> De! leggi, Signor mio, la vulghar ryma,<br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Et sia ti un modo da cacciar la noia,</span><br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Quando di gran facciende hai maggior stima."</span><br /> @@ -5315,12 +5297,12 @@ Gentile Bellini.</p> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Hor confess'io che sei fra gli altri degno,</span><br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">D'haver qual hebbe Apelle ogni alto honore.</span><br /> Veduta ho l'opra tua col suo cholore,<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">La venustà col suo sguardo benegno,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">La venustà col suo sguardo benegno,</span><br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Ogni suo movimento et nobil segno</span><br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Che ben demonstri il tuo gientil valore.</span><br /> Gientile! io t'ero affectionato assai,<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Parendomi la tua virtu più rara</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Che soglia esser l'ucciel che è solo al mondo;</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Parendomi la tua virtu più rara</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Che soglia esser l'ucciel che è solo al mondo;</span><br /> Ne pingier sa chi da te non impara,<br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Che gloria a quegli antiqui hormai tolta hai,</span><br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">In chi questa arte postha ogni suo pondo.</span><br /> @@ -5362,7 +5344,7 @@ the manuscript.</p> <hr class="med" /> -<p>Another <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">protégé</span></i> of Duke Federigo was <span class="smcap">Porcellio Pandonio</span>, +<p>Another <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">protégé</span></i> of Duke Federigo was <span class="smcap">Porcellio Pandonio</span>, of Naples,<a name="FNanchor_84_85" id="FNanchor_84_85"></a><a href="#Footnote_84_85" class="fnanchor">[*84]</a> whose pen was ever at command of the readiest patron, as historiographer or laureate. From his partiality to the designations of bard and secretary to Alfonso of Naples, it would @@ -5377,7 +5359,7 @@ which it is his object vividly to portray. In his printed work, on the campaigns of 1451-2, between Venice and Milan, he uniformly disguises Sforza and Piccinino, their respective commanders, as Scipio and Hannibal, under which <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">noms de guerre</span></i> it requires a -constant effort to recognise mediæval warriors, or to recollect +constant effort to recognise mediæval warriors, or to recollect that we are considering events dating some two thousand years after those who really bore them had been committed to the dust. The same affectation, common to many authors of his day, mars his unpublished @@ -5400,10 +5382,10 @@ to the state of Italy at the outbreak of the war:—</p> <tr> <td> <span lang="la" xml:lang="la"> -"Jamque erat Ausoniæ populos pax alta per omnes,<br /> +"Jamque erat Ausoniæ populos pax alta per omnes,<br /> Et tranquilla quies: jam nulli Martis ad aras<br /> Collucent ignes; jam victima nulla cadebat.<br /> -Dantur thura Jovi; fumabat oliva Minervæ:<br /> +Dantur thura Jovi; fumabat oliva Minervæ:<br /> Sus erat in pretio, Cereris aptissima sacris,<br /> Pampineique dei caper, et qui vitibus amens<br /> Officit, atque merum ante aras cum sanguine fundit."</span> @@ -5482,7 +5464,7 @@ detailed analysis of the work, as we have formerly drawn upon its most valuable portions for the history of Duke Federigo. When considering the state of the fine arts, we shall have to notice a very important part of the poem touching upon that subject—an -æsthetic episode on the art and artists of his day, which is +æsthetic episode on the art and artists of his day, which is introduced on occasion of the Duke's visit to Federigo I., Marquis of Mantua. In regard to the merit of this epic, due allowance must be made for the taste of the age. Its great length necessarily infers a @@ -5554,7 +5536,7 @@ Yet 'tis appointed him to die.<br /> <br /> <span lang="it" xml:lang="it"><span style="margin-left: 1em;">"Che el facto d'arme se devea fare</span><br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Sol per due cose, e l'altre lassar gire:</span><br /> -L'uno è per lo avantagio singolare<br /> +L'uno è per lo avantagio singolare<br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">E grande oltra misura; e in caso extremo</span><br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Si deve l'huomo a la fortuna dare."</span></span><br /> <br /> @@ -5580,7 +5562,7 @@ finely:—</p> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Che noi facciam per questo falso mondo,</span><br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Anzi un pugno di terra al ver narrare,</span><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">-142-</a></span><br /> Dove, con tanto afanno e tanto pondo,<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">De dì e nocte, e inextimabil cure,</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">De dì e nocte, e inextimabil cure,</span><br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Cerchiam sallire in alto e andamo al fondo.</span><br /> Qual e quel si potente che asicure<br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Ogi la vita sua per l'altro giorno,</span><br /> @@ -5679,7 +5661,7 @@ Non tangeria, s'il ver ch'io non errasse.<br /> Forsa che la natura in paradiso<br /> Per aiuto sali ad informarte,<br /> E poi per divin arte<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">-144-</a></span><br /> -A gloria de se eterna giù te trasse.<br /> +A gloria de se eterna giù te trasse.<br /> Qual oro si micante s'aguagliasse<br /> Cum sua chiareza a tui biondi capegli!<br /> E gli occhi, ch'a vede gli<br /> @@ -5703,11 +5685,11 @@ Real costume, aspetto di signora,<br /> Viso di dea e d'angioli a favella.<br /> <br /> Ma questa donna, ch'a la mente diva,<br /> -Depinge di honestà omne suo gesto:<br /> +Depinge di honestà omne suo gesto:<br /> Non pur suo guardo honesto,<br /> Ma li suo panni, gridan' pudicitia.<br /> <br /> -Questa madonna è el mar' de tutto el senno<br /> +Questa madonna è el mar' de tutto el senno<br /> Renchiuso, e posto dentro da bel ciglio,<br /> Chi vuol vecchio consiglio<br /> Recinga ai teneri anni di costei.<br /> @@ -5746,11 +5728,11 @@ deplores:—</p> Le cui memorie sempre al mondo fixe<br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Sonno e seranno; e ben certo si crede,</span><br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Mentre sta el mondo e la natura in pede</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Ch'ogni virtù dal cielo in lui venisse.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Ch'ogni virtù dal cielo in lui venisse.</span><br /> Quello mi piango, e mai ho 'l viso asciutto;<br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Quel chiamo, quel mi sogno, e quel mi stringo</span><br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Ai labri, sculpto in cara tavletta;</span><br /> -La qual, così machiata del mio lucto,<br /> +La qual, così machiata del mio lucto,<br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Adoro, honoro in verso, e vivo el fingo,</span><br /> Per lenimento di mia vita abiecta."<a name="FNanchor_90_91" id="FNanchor_90_91"></a><a href="#Footnote_90_91" class="fnanchor">[90]</a> </span> @@ -5759,7 +5741,7 @@ Per lenimento di mia vita abiecta."<a name="FNanchor_90_91" id="FNanchor_90_91"> </table> <p>But, in addition to his miscellaneous avocations, Veterani was a -copious versifier. Besides an epic, De Progenie Domus Feretranæ, +copious versifier. Besides an epic, De Progenie Domus Feretranæ, there are other volumes of poetry, apparently his, remaining unedited in the library,<a name="FNanchor_91_92" id="FNanchor_91_92"></a><a href="#Footnote_91_92" class="fnanchor">[91]</a> of which he continued custodian until the reign of Francesco Maria I. One of those beautiful manuscripts, the fair @@ -5786,7 +5768,7 @@ Hunc ego jamdudum Federicus, stante Feretro,<br /> Quem modo vel semper fas est lugere parentem,<br /> <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">-146-</a></span><span style="margin-left: 1em;">Et dominum qui me nutriit,) atque diu</span><br /> Pagina testis erit, lacrymis interlita multis,<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Hæc tibi, qui moesta hæc carmina pauca legis.</span><br /> +<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Hæc tibi, qui moesta hæc carmina pauca legis.</span><br /> Et si dissimilis conclusit littera librum,<br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Scriptorem ignarum me dolor ipse facit."</span> </span> @@ -5813,7 +5795,7 @@ memoirs.<a name="FNanchor_93_94" id="FNanchor_93_94"></a><a href="#Footnote_93_9 Guidobaldo's court, we mentioned Bernardo Accolti, and endeavoured to explain the inadequacy of his published works to sustain his contemporary reputation, by supposing that his strength lay in -extemporé recitation. The high place which his vanity claimed, in +extemporé recitation. The high place which his vanity claimed, in assuming "the Unique" as a surname, appears to have been freely accorded by the most able of his contemporaries. Ariosto says of him, not perhaps without a sneer at his notorious conceit,—</p> @@ -5841,7 +5823,7 @@ Italian courtlets, a celebrity from which posterity has withheld its seal. A solution of this success may perhaps be found in the circumstance that many of these owed it either to personal popularity or to their musical accomplishments. Thus <span class="smcap">Serafino d'Aquila</span>, -who either improviséed his verses, or chanted them to his own +who either improviséed his verses, or chanted them to his own accompaniment on the lute, was generally preferred to Petrarch. He died at thirty-four, in 1500, after being sought by all the petty sovereigns from Milan to Naples, and ere two generations had @@ -5900,7 +5882,7 @@ the theatre:—</p> <tr> <td> <span class="msm">"'BOTH WARS ABROAD AND SPORTS AT HOME<br /> -<span class="ind1">GREAT CÆSAR PATRONISED;</span><br /> +<span class="ind1">GREAT CÆSAR PATRONISED;</span><br /> LIKE DOUBLE CARE BY MIGHTY MINDS<br /> <span class="ind1">'MONGST US SHOULD STILL BE PRIZED.'</span></span></td> </tr> @@ -6039,7 +6021,7 @@ entertainment, and the racy humour of the dialogue. In order to let these be appreciated, an analysis larger than our space can permit would be necessary, and neither the character nor the wit of the piece could be preserved without introducing intrigues and language -repugnant to modern decency. Ginguené has conveyed a tolerable +repugnant to modern decency. Ginguené has conveyed a tolerable idea of the comedy without greatly shocking the reader, but has consequently suppressed much of its fun, and to his pages we must refer<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">-153-</a></span> for detail.<a name="FNanchor_98_99" id="FNanchor_98_99"></a><a href="#Footnote_98_99" class="fnanchor">[98]</a> The story turns upon the adventures of twins, @@ -6090,7 +6072,7 @@ Christendom, to continue exempt from corruption and licentiousness."</p> <p>In no language, perhaps, does there exist a jest-book more disgustingly prurient or so full of sacrilegious ribaldry as -the <i>Facetiæ</i> of Poggio Bracciolini. Were such a work published +the <i>Facetiæ</i> of Poggio Bracciolini. Were such a work published now-a-days, the author would be hooted from society, and the printer laid hold of as a common nuisance. Though the parties to above half its obscene anecdotes are from the clergy or the monastic orders, @@ -6140,7 +6122,7 @@ when unsustained by public and private virtue."<a name="FNanchor_101_102" id="FN <h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXVI" id="CHAPTER_XXVI">CHAPTER XXVI</a></h2> <div class="blockquot"> -<p class="subhead">Mediæval art chiefly religious—Innovations of Naturalism, +<p class="subhead">Mediæval art chiefly religious—Innovations of Naturalism, Classicism, and Paganism—character and tendencies of Christian painting ill understood in England—influence of St. Francis—Mariolatry.</p> @@ -6298,7 +6280,7 @@ divine grace, in order that we may attain to a good beginning and ending of all our undertakings, whether of word or work, prefacing all in the name and to the honour of the <span class="smcap">Most Holy Trinity</span>. And since spiritual things are, and should be, far preferable and -more precious than temporal, let us commence by regulating the fête +more precious than temporal, let us commence by regulating the fête of our patron, the venerable and glorious St Luke," &c. Several subsequent rules relate to the observance of other festivals, whereof fifty-seven are enjoined to be strictly kept without working, a @@ -6362,7 +6344,7 @@ borrowed from ordinary life, is to detract from the awe and mystery whereof they ought to be especially suggestive.</p> <p>But here it may be well to premise that, our observations upon -Christian art being purely æsthetical, it forms no part of our plan +Christian art being purely æsthetical, it forms no part of our plan to analyse its influences in a doctrinal view, or to discuss the Roman system of teaching religion to the laity, by attracting them to devotional observances through pictures and sculpture, to the @@ -6453,7 +6435,7 @@ authorised, fresh novelties.</p> <p>The modifications thus introduced have been distinguished in modern phrase by the term naturalism, in contradistinction to those traditional forms and spiritualised countenances which constitute -the mysticism of mediæval art. It would lead us too far from +the mysticism of mediæval art. It would lead us too far from our subject to trace the progress of naturalism from such early symptoms as we have indicated, until portraits, at first interponed as donors of the picture, or as spectators of its incident, were @@ -6512,7 +6494,7 @@ long forgotten, but at length reviving lore. The "new manner," as it was called, had, in Michael Angelo, a supporter whose mighty genius lent to its solecisms an irresistible charm. Yet against such innovations protests were long occasionally recorded. An anonymous -writer, in 1549, mentions a <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">Pietà</span></i>, said to have been designed +writer, in 1549, mentions a <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">Pietà </span></i>, said to have been designed by "Michael Angelo Buonarroti, that inventor of filthy trash, who adheres to art without devotion. Indeed, all the modern painters and sculptors, following the like Lutheran [that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">-170-</a></span> is, impious] caprices @@ -6537,7 +6519,7 @@ to squalid beggars.<a name="FNanchor_114_116" id="FNanchor_114_116"></a><a href= <p>The brief sketch which we have thus introduced of the progress and tendency of Christian art, may be fittingly concluded by the definition of it supplied by Baron v. Rumohr, one of the laborious, -learned, and felicitous expositors of mediæval art whom the reviving +learned, and felicitous expositors of mediæval art whom the reviving taste of later times produced. "It is consecrated to religion alone; its object is sometimes to induce the mind to the contemplation of sacred subjects, sometimes to regulate the passions, by awakening @@ -6588,7 +6570,7 @@ Sienese paintings can be understood only after long examination and elevated thought. The former, therefore, gratify the unintelligent many, the latter delight an enlightened few.</p> -<p>The difficulty of justly appreciating this branch of æsthetics is +<p>The difficulty of justly appreciating this branch of æsthetics is greater among ourselves than is generally imagined, as our best authorities have entirely misled us, from themselves overlooking its true bent. More alive to the naturalism and technical merits @@ -6606,7 +6588,7 @@ and insipid," and avers that until Masaccio, art was so barbarous, explanation applicable to assertions thus inconsistent at once with fact and with sound criticism, in a writer so candid and generally so careful. Living in an age devoid of Catholic feeling (we employ -the phrase in an æsthetic sense), which classed in the same category +the phrase in an æsthetic sense), which classed in the same category of contempt<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">-173-</a></span> all painting before Michael Angelo, and speaking of "an excellence addressed to a faculty which he did not possess," he assumed, without observation or inquiry, that "the simplicity @@ -6694,7 +6676,7 @@ such tastes among ourselves, as is too generally supposed. The present reaction in favour of Romanist views, prevalent in England among a class of persons, many of whom are distinguished by high and cultivated intellect, as well as by youthful enthusiasm, takes -naturally an æsthetic as well as theological direction. The faith +naturally an æsthetic as well as theological direction. The faith and discipline, which they labour to revive, having borrowed some winning illustrations and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">-176-</a></span> much imposing pageantry from painting, sculpture, and architecture, their neophytes gladly avail themselves @@ -6809,7 +6791,7 @@ to despise. This influx of treasure had the usual destination of monastic wealth, being chiefly dedicated to the decoration of its sanctuary. During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries the best artists in Italy competed for its embellishment, and even now it -is there that the student of mediæval art ought most to seek for +is there that the student of mediæval art ought most to seek for enlightenment.</p> <p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">-179-</a></span></p> @@ -7047,7 +7029,7 @@ students whose minds were preoccupied by tales of St. Francis, and thus it is unnecessary here to notice them further. The Sienese school is in an entirely different category. Without encumbering ourselves at present by the definitions and distinctions of German -æsthetic criticism, we shall merely remark that the painters of +æsthetic criticism, we shall merely remark that the painters of Siena, from Guido until late in the fifteenth century, never lost sight of that sentimental devotion which we have already described as the soul of Christian art, and which so curiously pervades the @@ -7402,7 +7384,7 @@ less by angelic choirs of cherubim and seraphim, than by the great ones of the earth in their trappings of dignity; and of all sacred themes, the Epiphany, or adoration of the Magi kings at the stable of Bethlehem, was his choice. Such is the magnificent altar-panel -which he wrought in 1423, for the church of the S. Trinità at +which he wrought in 1423, for the church of the S. Trinità at Florence, now one of the most precious monuments in the Belle Arti there. Still more gorgeous is his crowded composition painted for the Zeni of Venice; but there he has contaminated the purist spirit @@ -7432,7 +7414,7 @@ lines and compartments, such as we see in the Dutch gardens of the seventeenth century. But to this question we must return.</p> <p>Among the artists who maintained in Umbria the influences left -by Ottaviano and Gentile, two were of special merit, <span class="smcap">Nicolò +by Ottaviano and Gentile, two were of special merit, <span class="smcap">Nicolò Alunno</span>, of Foligno, and <span class="smcap">Benedetto Bonfigli</span>, of Perugia. Their works have been often confounded, but with the latter only have we to do, for, besides being nearer to Gentile both in @@ -7455,7 +7437,7 @@ other hand, we contrast the placid features which Vannucci uniformly limned, rarely ruffled by sorrow, never clouded by sin, with the furious mien and restless energy of Michael Angelo's creations, we may well credit Vasari's story of their quarrel, and can account -for the scrimp justice accorded to the painter of Città della Pieve +for the scrimp justice accorded to the painter of Città della Pieve by his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">-200-</a></span> Florentine biographer. They pretend not, indeed, to the bold character of Signorelli, nor even to the severity of Mantegna, or Piero della Francesca; but those who criticise them as stiff, @@ -7635,7 +7617,7 @@ blind during five lustres; a circumstance which, though not entirely inconsistent with his cultivation of the exact sciences, would occasion an impediment not likely to be passed over by him, when pleading as an apology the disabilities of age. The researches of -Abbé Pungeleoni have, however, established that no such calamity +Abbé Pungeleoni have, however, established that no such calamity had befallen our painter in 1469, when he was the guest of Giovanni Sanzi, at Urbino; and it is no way referred to in Pacioli's dedication, written in 1494, while he was still alive. Altogether, @@ -7707,7 +7689,7 @@ is introduced a detached group of three figures in conversation, magnificently attired, who are generally called at Urbino the successive sovereigns Oddantonio, Federigo, and Guidobaldo I.; but their ages, compared with that of the painter, are irreconcileable -with such a supposition. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">-209-</a></span> Abbé Pungeleoni, in his <i>Life of +with such a supposition. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">-209-</a></span> Abbé Pungeleoni, in his <i>Life of Sanzi</i>, considers them to represent Count Guidantonio and his successors, Oddantonio and Federigo; or they may more probably be portraits of Oddantonio and the two evil counsellors who led him and @@ -7737,7 +7719,7 @@ decorations and very clever perspective;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" introduced, but the subjects are not known.<a name="FNanchor_153_155" id="FNanchor_153_155"></a><a href="#Footnote_153_155" class="fnanchor">[*153]</a> To these, and still more to some of his earlier productions, may be applied the observation of Fra Castiglione, that "the works of Pietro, and those -of his contemporary, Melozzo da Forlì, with their perspective effects +of his contemporary, Melozzo da Forlì, with their perspective effects and intricacies of art, are appreciated by connoisseurs rather than admired by the uninitiated."<a name="FNanchor_154_156" id="FNanchor_154_156"></a><a href="#Footnote_154_156" class="fnanchor">[*154]</a></p> @@ -7745,7 +7727,7 @@ admired by the uninitiated."<a name="FNanchor_154_156" id="FNanchor_154_156"></a confirmed by Vasari, in naming among his scholars Perugino and Signorelli, the latter of whom worked at Urbino in 1484, and again, ten years later. But were our information as to his pupils more -ample, we might probably find among them Melozzo da Forlì, to whom, +ample, we might probably find among them Melozzo da Forlì, to whom, and to other names connected with the duchy we shall return in our <a href="#CHAPTER_XXXI">thirty-first chapter</a>. Prominently among its painters, Lanzi has enumerated Bartolomeo Corradi, who became a predicant friar by the @@ -7766,7 +7748,7 @@ the church of the Zoccolantines at Sinigaglia, in which two accessory figures probably represent the Prefect Giovanni della Rovere and his wife, the sister of Duke Guidobaldo I.; but their marriage only took place about the supposed time of this painter's death; and, at all -events, had the Abbé ever seen it, he could not have mistaken it for +events, had the Abbé ever seen it, he could not have mistaken it for a sketch of the altar-piece of S. Bernardino. The latter remains in the Brera, at Milan, among the unrestored French plunder; and I have sought in vain for other identified works of Carnevale in the duchy, @@ -7903,13 +7885,13 @@ first established its importance and methodised its application.</p> <div class="blockquot"> <p class="subhead">Giovanni Sanzi of Urbino—His son the immortal Raffaele—Early influences on his mind—Paints at Perugia, -Città di Castello, Siena, and Florence—His visits to +Città di Castello, Siena, and Florence—His visits to Urbino, and works there.</p> </div> <p class="tp"><span class="dropcap">W</span>ITH <span class="smcap">Giovanni Sanzi</span><a name="FNanchor_161_163" id="FNanchor_161_163"></a><a href="#Footnote_161_163" class="fnanchor">[*161]</a> we have already made acquaintance -as an epic poet. The patient labour of the Abbé Pungeleoni, and +as an epic poet. The patient labour of the Abbé Pungeleoni, and the critical acumen of Passavant, have amply refuted Malvasia's spiteful, and Lanzi's careless but often quoted assertions, that the father of Raffaele was an obscure potter, or, at best, an @@ -7963,7 +7945,7 @@ partakes generally of the Umbrian character,—grave, reflective, self-possessed, without aiming at dramatic effect or artificial embellishment, yet not deficient in variety, or graceful expression. More severe than Perugino, he approaches the serious figures of -Melozzo da Forlì, but subdues their naturalism by an infusion of +Melozzo da Forlì, but subdues their naturalism by an infusion of devotional sincerity and simple feeling. He is partial to slender forms and delicately drawn feet and hands, but the contours are dark and hard, the flesh-tints dull and heavy, tending to cold gray in the @@ -8004,7 +7986,7 @@ pronounce a satisfactory judgment as to the master, from the load of over-painting in oil. Though called a Madonna and Child, it seems rather a gentle mother, who, having hushed her babe to sleep upon her knee, reads from the breviary on a stand by her seat, and the -composition and attitudes present a charming naïveté and natural +composition and attitudes present a charming naïveté and natural expression. Connoisseurs agree in rejecting its claims as a work of Raffaele; nor does it quite resemble his father's usual type, though it is difficult to substitute any more plausible theory for the @@ -8014,7 +7996,7 @@ belongs to the pencil of a merciless restorer.</p> <div class="illo" style="width: 311px"><a id="RAPHAEL"></a> <p class="center border"><img src="images/raphael.jpg" width="311" height="500" alt="Raphael" title="Raphael" /></p> -<p class="cap3">Rafaello Sanzi di Anni Sei nato il dì 6 apr. 1483 +<p class="cap3">Rafaello Sanzi di Anni Sei nato il dì 6 apr. 1483 Sanzi Padre dipinse</p> <p class="cap1"><span style="margin-right: 45%">Gio. Sanzi pinx.</span> L. Ceroni sculp.</p> <p class="cap2">RAPHAEL, AGED SIX YEARS</p> @@ -8188,9 +8170,9 @@ Italy banished from his thoughts the congenial pursuits of peace, and he repaired to Venice to take part in the coming strife. There was little inducement for the young Sanzio to establish himself at the board of an ungracious stepmother, so he set forth to try -his fortunes at the neighbouring capital of Vitelli, and Città di +his fortunes at the neighbouring capital of Vitelli, and Città di Castello was enriched by the first works undertaken on his own -account. One of these, S. Nicolò di Tolentino crowned by the Madonna, +account. One of these, S. Nicolò di Tolentino crowned by the Madonna, has disappeared in the rapine of the French revolutionary invasion; but another altar-picture of the Crucifixion, lately obtained from the Fesch Gallery by Lord Ward, enables us to appreciate @@ -8200,7 +8182,7 @@ Perugino in which he was assisted by his pupil; and such as best know the paintings of that master at his happiest<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">-226-</a></span> moment, can most appreciate the compliment of classing with them the unaided though imitative efforts of a lad of seventeen. The Sposalizio of the -Madonna, abstracted from Città di Castello by the French, and now at +Madonna, abstracted from Città di Castello by the French, and now at Milan, is of four years later date, being marked 1504; but it was little more than a repetition of a similar work of his master, which, during the same havoc, was carried across the Alps, and remains at @@ -8286,7 +8268,7 @@ Lordship.</p> <p>"From Urbino, 1st October, 1504.</p> <p class="right">"<span class="smcap">Joanna Feltria de Ruvere</span>,<br /> -Ducissa Soræ et Urbis Prefectissa."</p> +Ducissa Soræ et Urbis Prefectissa."</p> </div> <p>This letter probably obtained him more civility than substantial @@ -8334,7 +8316,7 @@ elevated caste.</p> <p class="cap3">After the picture by Timoteo Viti in the Palazzo Ducale, Urbino</p> </div> -<p>In an æsthetic view, the paintings and drawings executed by Raffaele +<p>In an æsthetic view, the paintings and drawings executed by Raffaele at Florence are of infinite importance, but it would lead us much too far to examine the progressive development and naturalist tendencies which they display.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">-230-</a></span> We have not attempted to separate his various @@ -8445,7 +8427,7 @@ of that order: it was painted by the Duke's command in commemoration of his receiving this distinction; and in all probability was carried as a present to Henry VII. by Castiglione, in 1506, when he went to London as proxy at his master's installation. There it -graced the palace of the Tudors and Stuarts until sold for £150 by +graced the palace of the Tudors and Stuarts until sold for £150 by the Commonwealth to Lord Pembroke. It was subsequently purchased by Catherine of Russia from the Crozat Collection, in which it is engraved.</p> @@ -8963,7 +8945,7 @@ to have left 16,000 ducats, including 5000 in cash, to be divided for the most part among his friends and household; the house of Bramante,<a name="FNanchor_188_190" id="FNanchor_188_190"></a><a href="#Footnote_188_190" class="fnanchor">[188]</a> which he purchased for 3000 ducats, he has given to the Cardinal [Bibbiena] of S. Maria in Portico. He was buried at the -Rotonda, whither he was borne by a distinguished cortège. His soul +Rotonda, whither he was borne by a distinguished cortège. His soul is beyond a doubt gone to contemplate those heavenly mansions where no trouble enters, but his memory and his name will linger long on earth, in his works and in the minds of virtuous men.—Much less @@ -9155,7 +9137,7 @@ of Lippo Dalmasio, of whom we have already spoken,<a name="FNanchor_192_194" id= fresco, representing the Madonna and Child between two saints, which is over the door of S. Procul at Bologna. There we find a pensive cast of head gently bent on one side in dreamy contemplation,—the -sweetly naïve features, with less indeed of a divine or seraphic +sweetly naïve features, with less indeed of a divine or seraphic expression than we see in those<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">-255-</a></span> imagined by the Florentine and Sienese masters, but whose look seems to indicate that, though of earth, their owner was not earthy,—though a child of fallen @@ -9228,7 +9210,7 @@ Office.</p> <p>Two altar-pictures by Timoteo remain in the cathedral-sacristy of his native city,<a name="FNanchor_194_196" id="FNanchor_194_196"></a><a href="#Footnote_194_196" class="fnanchor">[*194]</a> besides a St. Apollonia in the church of -the Trinità. These exhibit much soft expression and devotional +the Trinità . These exhibit much soft expression and devotional feeling, combined with considerable breadth of execution; yet they scarcely possess the simple sentiment of the earlier Umbrian artificers, the noble character of Sanzi, or the fervour and finish @@ -9328,7 +9310,7 @@ pictorial works were produced, and where some frescoes may still be seen, meriting no ordinary meed of approbation, and particularly distinguished by fidelity in portraits and accuracy of architectural perspective; qualities learned, doubtless, from the productions of -Melozzo da Forlì and Piero della Francesca. Of these mural paintings, +Melozzo da Forlì and Piero della Francesca. Of these mural paintings, the most interesting remains in the church of the Canepa, at Pavia, and exhibits the artist presenting a model for that building to its founder, Duke Gian Galeazzo Sforza, his Duchess, and his mother. @@ -9468,7 +9450,7 @@ his solid and enduring style.</p> devotion sought scope in the exercise of Christian art, and who is generally considered a follower of Raffaele, although this is doubted by Grossi. Nor does it much matter, for the only work now identified -with his name is an altar-piece of the Pietà with two attendant +with his name is an altar-piece of the Pietà with two attendant saints, in the church of his order at Cagli. Still less is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">-265-</a></span> known of one <span class="smcap">Crocchia</span> of Urbino, named by Baldinucci as a pupil of Raffaele. His countryman, Centogatti, is said to have exercised @@ -9610,11 +9592,11 @@ varying from one to four and a half inches in diameter; many bear the names of well-known sculptors and painters as their artists, and exhibit a grandeur of conception unequalled in other numismatic productions.<a name="FNanchor_204_206" id="FNanchor_204_206"></a><a href="#Footnote_204_206" class="fnanchor">[*204]</a> About three hundred and seventy-five such medals -have been published in the Trésor de Numismatique et de Glyptique, -and although the <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">procédé Collas</span></i> there adopted in general fails +have been published in the Trésor de Numismatique et de Glyptique, +and although the <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">procédé Collas</span></i> there adopted in general fails to preserve the sharpness and finish given to the originals by careful retouching, no work of art is so delightful a companion -to Italian mediæval history. Zannetti's elaborate collections on +to Italian mediæval history. Zannetti's elaborate collections on Italian coinages, and the fifth volume of Cicognara's great work upon sculpture, may also be consulted with pleasure and advantage.</p> @@ -9626,7 +9608,7 @@ said to have ornamented the great hall of the palace with six round bas-reliefs of Duke Federigo's exploits. Seven medals of that prince have come to my knowledge, all of extreme rarity: the first five are described and engraved in the <i>Zecca di Gubbio</i>; the first, second, -and fourth in the Trésor de Numismatique; the sixth is probably +and fourth in the Trésor de Numismatique; the sixth is probably unnoticed elsewhere. The heads of all are in profile.</p> <p>No. I. A medallion of 3<span class="num">5</span>/<span class="den">8</span> inches diameter. The Duke's bust is in @@ -9638,7 +9620,7 @@ bonnet. The legend is a Latin couplet, signifying,</p> <table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary="inscription"> <tr> <td> -"<span class="smcap">He comes, another Cæsar and another Roman Scipio,<br /> +"<span class="smcap">He comes, another Cæsar and another Roman Scipio,<br /> Whether he gives to the Nations Peace or fierce Wars</span>." </td> </tr> @@ -9698,7 +9680,7 @@ interest. On a medal 4¾ inches across, clasped round by the badge and gothic motto of the Garter, is a noble bust of Federigo in armour, his massive bald head uncovered. The reverse has five winged loves supporting an ample basin, from whence issue two grape-laden -cornu<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">-272-</a></span>copiæ; between them the crowned eagle of Montefeltro sits on +cornu<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">-272-</a></span>copiæ; between them the crowned eagle of Montefeltro sits on a globe of command, gazing sunward, and supporting the armorial shield of that house, with the papal arms in pale as borne by the Gonfaloniere: the contracted inscription "<span class="smcap">Duke Fe</span>." appears @@ -9892,7 +9874,7 @@ left:—</p> <p>1. <span class="smcap">Cardinal Pietro Riario</span>, the favourite of his Uncle Sixtus IV., who died in 1474.</p> - <p>2. <span class="smcap">Girolamo</span>, Lord of Forlì, and, in right of his + <p>2. <span class="smcap">Girolamo</span>, Lord of Forlì, and, in right of his wife, Caterina Sforza, sovereign of Imola, whose name is familiar to those who have followed our narrative, and who was assassinated in 1488. Among their children were @@ -9978,7 +9960,7 @@ Luchina had—</p> and his public revenues, amounting to 40,000 ducats a year, were liberally administered in the patronage of letters.</p> - <p>5. <span class="smcap">Nicolò</span>, who left a son Giulio.</p> + <p>5. <span class="smcap">Nicolò</span>, who left a son Giulio.</p> <p>6. <span class="smcap">Lucrezia</span>, wife of Marc Antonio Colonna, who fell at the siege of Milan, in 1522.<a name="FNanchor_209_211" id="FNanchor_209_211"></a><a href="#Footnote_209_211" class="fnanchor">[209]</a></p> @@ -10006,7 +9988,7 @@ Ottavia, daughter of Giulio Colonna. A scandalous intrigue of Maria in her widowhood will be mentioned in the life of her brother,<a name="FNanchor_210_212" id="FNanchor_210_212"></a><a href="#Footnote_210_212" class="fnanchor">[210]</a> but it did not prevent her finding a second husband in Galeazzo, son of Girolamo Riario, Lord of -Forlì.</p> +Forlì.</p> <p>4. <span class="smcap">Costanza</span>, who died unmarried at Rome in November, 1507.</p> @@ -10205,7 +10187,7 @@ emerged to lavish ill-gotten gold with rarely equalled prodigality; whilst in the cold and unimpassioned countenance of Giuliano, we vainly seek for those massive features, and that angry scowl, which the pencil of Raffaele subsequently immortalised. The group is -completed by the two younger nephews, Girolamo, Lord of Forlì, gawky +completed by the two younger nephews, Girolamo, Lord of Forlì, gawky and common-place in figure, with the Prefect Giovanni, of blunt and burly aspect. It would be difficult satisfactorily to render so large a group in these pages, but we give an unedited and speaking likeness @@ -10586,7 +10568,7 @@ as well as to the perils of those troubled times. But, considering himself even there insecure, he ere long withdrew to Naples, whence, after narrowly escaping seizure by the Pope's emissaries, he again reached Ostia in an open boat. On the approach of an army under -Nicolò Count of Pittigliano, he fled thence to France, leaving the +Nicolò Count of Pittigliano, he fled thence to France, leaving the garrison in charge of the Prefect, who soon capitulated, on condition that neither he nor his brother should incur ecclesiastical censures. Grotto Ferrata was about the same time seized and delivered over to @@ -10653,7 +10635,7 @@ duty to beware <i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">ne aliquid detrimenti respublica content with resisting such further "detriment to the commonwealth," and with recovering the ground recently lost, his conscience, more perhaps than his ambition, urged him to new triumphs. He was a great -pontiff after the mediæval estimate of the papacy. Little occupying +pontiff after the mediæval estimate of the papacy. Little occupying himself with the bulwarks of a faith which he presumed impregnable, or the dogmas of a church still paramount over Christendom, he considered the temporal sovereignty and aggrandisement of the Keys to @@ -10835,7 +10817,7 @@ and, as then usual, testified gratitude by the selection of his baptismal names. St. Francis was the established tutelary saint of the family, under whose guidance Sixtus IV. believed himself to have obtained the tiara, and to whom his brother the Prefect addressed his -orisons for a male child. It came into the world on the fête of the +orisons for a male child. It came into the world on the fête of the Annunciation, and was immediately christened Francesco Maria,<a name="FNanchor_230_232" id="FNanchor_230_232"></a><a href="#Footnote_230_232" class="fnanchor">[*230]</a> in honour of the saint and of the Madonna. In this, his only male offspring, centred the hopes and interests of the Lord of Sinigaglia; @@ -10875,7 +10857,7 @@ relation. The lad, though small in stature for his years, was remarkable for strength and activity, as well as for an active temperament and lively talents. He was liberal, and even careless, of money; but all his pleasure was in the military art, all his -ambition centred in martial glory, for Nicolò of Fossombrone, +ambition centred in martial glory, for Nicolò of Fossombrone, and another famous astrologer, had predicted from his horoscope high deeds of arms. After passing hours in the study of history and classical literature, and of those sciences wherein princes @@ -11029,7 +11011,7 @@ bearing upon any theories of self-government, Baldi has entered into no details of these demands: their object may, however, be guessed at from the municipal concessions made by Francesco Maria on the 31st of May, whereby precedence was granted to the gonfaloniere over -the podestà; and the salaries of the city physician, lawyer, and +the podestà ; and the salaries of the city physician, lawyer, and schoolmaster were undertaken by the sovereign, who also consented to a modification of the imposts on agricultural produce.<a name="FNanchor_234_236" id="FNanchor_234_236"></a><a href="#Footnote_234_236" class="fnanchor">[*234]</a></p> @@ -11066,7 +11048,7 @@ as a public instrument. From Urbino, this 25th of April, 1508.</p> <p class="right">"<span class="smcap">Franciscus Maria Dux Urbini,<br /> -Almæ Urbis Præfectus</span>."</p> +Almæ Urbis Præfectus</span>."</p> </div> <p>The deputations willingly rendered the required homage, for they @@ -11114,7 +11096,7 @@ Assured of support from their ally of France, the Signory offered compliance, on condition of his going unarmed: but, spurning such terms, he, in February, moved with an army upon the valley of Trent. He was, however, effectually held in check by the Venetian generals, -Nicolò da Petigliano and Bartolomeo d'Alviano; whilst Louis, besides +Nicolò da Petigliano and Bartolomeo d'Alviano; whilst Louis, besides sending Gian Giacomo Trivulzio to their support, instigated the Duke of Gueldres to carry fire and sword into Lower Germany. Maximilian, finding his hands full, made a hasty truce with the Venetians in @@ -11193,7 +11175,7 @@ more passionate; and declares that he had never met with a more comely, merry, or sweet girl, who, to a most amiable disposition, added a surprisingly precocious judgment, which gained for her general admiration.<a name="FNanchor_238_240" id="FNanchor_238_240"></a><a href="#Footnote_238_240" class="fnanchor">[238]</a> This event was hailed at Urbino with great -public rejoicings and sumptuous fêtes, and the triumphal arches, +public rejoicings and sumptuous fêtes, and the triumphal arches, theatres, and other architectural and pictorial works required for the occasion, were executed under the direction of Timoteo Vite and Girolamo Genga. In 1843 I saw, in the hands of Padre Cellani, at @@ -11253,7 +11235,7 @@ taken by surprise, but with great presence of mind he ordered an advance upon Faenza as the readiest means of restoring order. The gloom of twilight now settled down upon the camp, augmenting the embarrassment, and ere the troops evacuated it, a good many Spaniards -had been cut down in the <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">mêlée</span></i>. Military discipline at length +had been cut down in the <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">mêlée</span></i>. Military discipline at length prevailed, and the Duke, finding the town on its guard, returned to quarters. Ramocciotto's reappearance appeased the originators of the tumult, but it was not till next day that a stern inquiry detected @@ -11604,7 +11586,7 @@ he made with his cavalry upon their assailants, their officers would have given way to a general panic, and the army must have been annihilated. The coolness of their juvenile commander so far reassured them that the retiring army encamped on the morrow between -Forlì and Cesena, without much further loss than their artillery +Forlì and Cesena, without much further loss than their artillery and baggage.<a name="FNanchor_243_245" id="FNanchor_243_245"></a><a href="#Footnote_243_245" class="fnanchor">[243]</a> The vast quantity of booty obtained for this misconducted affair the nick-name of "donkey-day."</p> @@ -12106,7 +12088,7 @@ his company of two hundred men-at-arms, and a hundred light cavalry; nor could words exceed the kindness of the letter in which Bembo intimated this to him on behalf of the Pope.<a name="FNanchor_254_256" id="FNanchor_254_256"></a><a href="#Footnote_254_256" class="fnanchor">[254]</a></p> -<p>When the coronation fêtes were over, he returned home to enjoy one of +<p>When the coronation fêtes were over, he returned home to enjoy one of those brief intervals of repose which rarely<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_355" id="Page_355">-355-</a></span> fell to his lot. His almost continual absence on military service had indeed been greatly felt in his capital, and most of the distinguished men who frequented @@ -12160,7 +12142,7 @@ an imposing tower of three commodious stories built here by the Malatesta. Hither was conducted, on her first arrival, Camilla of Aragon, bride of Costanzo Sforza Lord of Pesaro; and its inaccessible situation did not prevent a splendid manifestation of the general -joy, in fêtes and pageants, commemorated in a volume of excessive +joy, in fêtes and pageants, commemorated in a volume of excessive rarity, which seem more proportioned to the affectionate gallantry of her husband and subjects, than to the resources of their state, or to the conveniences of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_357" id="Page_357">-357-</a></span> this palace. Representations of the community @@ -13142,7 +13124,7 @@ a general massacre, was the Cardinal Bibbiena, not de' Medici, as accidentally misstated by Roscoe. After long employing his diplomatic talents against his former friend, the Lord of Urbino, he now compassed his final ruin by exertions of the camp, for which he was -less qualified. The mutinous <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">mêlée</span></i> which he had witnessed prepared +less qualified. The mutinous <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">mêlée</span></i> which he had witnessed prepared him for the discovery, that moneys raised by extraordinary exertions were ill-spent upon an army "thrice as numerous on pay-day as in action." It was, therefore,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_388" id="Page_388">-388-</a></span> to the commissariat and finance that @@ -13818,7 +13800,7 @@ Piacenza for the Church by his means. To men in the Duke of Urbino's desperate position, any convulsion would be welcome, as offering the chance of better things. The impression left by his biographers, that he maintained a cautious neutrality in the contest thus opening, -is disproved by some documents in the Bibliothèque du Roi, which +is disproved by some documents in the Bibliothèque du Roi, which establish him as a retained adherent of the French monarch.<a name="FNanchor_280_282" id="FNanchor_280_282"></a><a href="#Footnote_280_282" class="fnanchor">[280]</a> One of them is an undated draft of articles proposed by him, his nephew Sigismondo Varana, Camillo Orsini, the Baglioni, and the @@ -14114,7 +14096,7 @@ possession of Camerino, sought so to occupy the Duke of Urbino as to prevent his espousing the cause of Sigismondo, its rightful lord. The latter also looked for support to his wife's uncle, Cardinal Prospero Colonna, whilst the interests of his competitor were backed -by Cardinal Innocenzo Cibò, his brother-in-law. But ere these +by Cardinal Innocenzo Cibò, his brother-in-law. But ere these respective claims could be tested, they were sadly set at rest by the death of "poor dear but ill-starred Sigismondo," as he is called by Castiglione, who was set upon and slain on the 24th of June by @@ -14185,7 +14167,7 @@ with gold brocade coverlets, and the curtains very handsome. Next morning, after breakfast, the guests went to the palace to wait upon the Duchesses, who met them in the fourth ante-room, whence, after sundry ceremonies, they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_422" id="Page_422">-422-</a></span> handed the ladies and their attendants into -the presence-chamber, newly done up with arrases, gilding, and a daïs +the presence-chamber, newly done up with arrases, gilding, and a daïs of silk. After conversing in an under-tone for three-quarters of an hour, they retired with the like formalities. On Easter Sunday, after vespers, they had an audience of leave, when the younger @@ -14455,7 +14437,7 @@ as they glided along the glassy surface. At length they stopped at the massive, but now crumbling, Foscari palace, to witness a race of four-oared gondolas, and concluded the entertainment with a supper on the Rialto. Next day their sports were renewed, with addition of -a déjeuner, where fancy confections were presented to the principal +a déjeuner, where fancy confections were presented to the principal guests—a triumphal chariot to Francesco Maria, an eagle to the imperial ambassador, and so forth.</p> @@ -14731,7 +14713,7 @@ your most illustrious Lordship. From Rome, 11th July, 1526.</p> <i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Humillimum manicipium</span></i>,</p> <p class="right">"<span class="smcap"><span class="err" title="Transcriber's Note: In the original, the C and the S at the ends of these words have tildes over them, signifying abbreviations. In the absence of such HTML characters, carons are used here instead.">Hič. Epš.</span> -Wigornieñ.</span>"<a name="FNanchor_304_306" id="FNanchor_304_306"></a><a href="#Footnote_304_306" class="fnanchor">[304]</a></p> +Wigornieñ.</span>"<a name="FNanchor_304_306" id="FNanchor_304_306"></a><a href="#Footnote_304_306" class="fnanchor">[304]</a></p> </div> <p>The prejudices of Guicciardini are admitted by the Venetian Paruta, @@ -14879,7 +14861,7 @@ in Lombardy. The papal troops had been withdrawn; the garrison of Cremona, whose services the Venetians would not retain at his suggestion, had entered into new engagements with the enemy; fourteen thousand <i><span lang="de" xml:lang="de">lanznechts</span></i>, alias <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">lansquenet</span></i> infantry, under Georg v. -Fründesberg, were marching from Germany by the Val di Sabbia to +Fründesberg, were marching from Germany by the Val di Sabbia to support the imperial cause. His first care was to check the pillage of Cremona, a service which the citizens acknowledged by presenting to him a golden vase weighing twenty pounds, and beautifully chased @@ -14893,13 +14875,13 @@ the Duke for not supporting the naval attack made by the French upon Genoa, a scheme for which we have seen him contending at an earlier period. But a passage in his own <i>Discorsi Militari</i> expressly states the Venetian force at four thousand infantry and five thousand -cavalry, to keep in check both Fründesberg's lansquenets and ten +cavalry, to keep in check both Fründesberg's lansquenets and ten thousand men at Milan; and it explains his tactics to consist in making Cremona the centre of a line of defence, embracing Bergamo on the right, and Genoa on the left, which, being vastly too extended for his force, necessitated his keeping his men together, in order to move upon any exposed point. Accordingly, considering it most -incumbent to intercept the battalions of Fründesberg, he, after +incumbent to intercept the battalions of Fründesberg, he, after throwing garrisons into some important places on his right flank, pushed towards Mantua with about ten thousand men. Although sadly impeded by dreadful weather, and by difficulties of transport, the @@ -14919,7 +14901,7 @@ brilliancy from the attempts of some writers to elevate his fame at Francesco Maria's expense. In this unworthy effort—as on too many like occasions—Guicciardini has been followed by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_447" id="Page_447">-447-</a></span> the historian of the Italian republics. The charges of misconduct adduced against -the Duke of Urbino, in his movement against Fründesberg, are by no +the Duke of Urbino, in his movement against Fründesberg, are by no means borne out by the more detailed accounts supplied by Leoni and Baldi. He seems to have done everything that the state of the elements would allow; and even accused himself of occasioning the @@ -14933,7 +14915,7 @@ out of respect for their leader, assumed those mourning scarfs which procured them the name <i><span lang="it" xml:lang="it">delle bande nere</span></i>; and most of them soon after passed to Rome in the papal service.</p> -<p>The German lansquenets, whom Fründesberg had brought into Italy, +<p>The German lansquenets, whom Fründesberg had brought into Italy, were in fact a free company, levied by himself on a mere plundering adventure, without the pretext of pay. Alarmed at a reinforcement of so obnoxious a character, the confederates bethought themselves @@ -14990,10 +14972,10 @@ feathered tribes are said to become victims of their reptile-foe.</p> <p>That foe was Charles Duke of Bourbon, son of Gilbert Count de Montpensier, who died at Pozzuoli, in 1495, by Chiara Gonzaga, sister of Elisabetta Duchess of Urbino. He was next heir to the -crown of France, after Francis Duke of Angoulême, who succeeded to -it as Francis I., and Charles Duke d'Alençon, whose blood had been +crown of France, after Francis Duke of Angoulême, who succeeded to +it as Francis I., and Charles Duke d'Alençon, whose blood had been attainted for treason. Louis XII., having removed this attainder, -and restored the d'Alençon branch to their rights, incurred the deep +and restored the d'Alençon branch to their rights, incurred the deep displeasure of Bourbon, who was, however, pacified by receiving, at the age of twenty-six, the office of grand constable,—the highest dignity of the realm. He greatly distinguished himself in Francis's @@ -15044,7 +15026,7 @@ was therefore resolved upon, and as occupation and pillage were the only chances of keeping together such dis<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_451" id="Page_451">-451-</a></span>organised troops, he led them in search of both. Indifferent whether the spoils of Florence or Romagna should prove the more convenient prey, he effected a junction -with Fründesberg's new levies, whose circumstances and objects +with Fründesberg's new levies, whose circumstances and objects exactly corresponded with those of his own forces, and on the 30th of January their united divisions passed the Po.</p> @@ -15065,7 +15047,7 @@ by Guicciardini. Judging from the results of the campaign, there can be no doubt that the imperialists ought to have been attacked at this juncture; and if a general onset had been ordered on the 13th of March, when they broke out into open mutiny, Bourbon being -obliged to fly for his life, or, a few days after, when Fründesberg, +obliged to fly for his life, or, a few days after, when Fründesberg, a monster of sacrilege and blasphemy, according to the Italian historians, died of apoplexy, they would in all probability have been totally exterminated. But they were the reserved instrument of @@ -15409,10 +15391,10 @@ followinge:—</p> <p>"<span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Ego Guido Ubaldus, Dei Gratia Dux Urbinatis, honorificentissimi atque approbatissimi Ordinis Garterii Miles et Confrater electus, -juro ad hæc sancta Dei evangelia per me corporaliter tacta, quod +juro ad hæc sancta Dei evangelia per me corporaliter tacta, quod omnia et singula statuta leges et ordinationes ipsius dignissimi Ordinis bene sincere et inviolabiliter observabo. Ita me Deus -adjuvet, et hæc sancta Dei evangelia!</span></p> +adjuvet, et hæc sancta Dei evangelia!</span></p> <p>"Which othe geven, Sir Gybert Talbot shall deliver the Garter to hym, and cause the same in good and honorable manner to be put about his @@ -15421,8 +15403,8 @@ followinge:—</p> <p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_465" id="Page_465">-465-</a></span></p> -<p>"<span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Ad laudem et honorem summi atque omnipotentis Dei, intemeratæ -Virginis et Matris suæ Mariæ, ac gloriosissimi martiris Georgii, +<p>"<span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Ad laudem et honorem summi atque omnipotentis Dei, intemeratæ +Virginis et Matris suæ Mariæ, ac gloriosissimi martiris Georgii, hujus Ordinis Patroni, circumcingo tibiam tuam hoc Garterio, ut possis in isto bello firmiter stare et fortiter vincere, in signum Ordinis et augmentum tui honoris</span>.</p> @@ -15432,8 +15414,8 @@ saide Duke the gowne of purple couler, and cause hym to apparrell hymself with the same, the saide Abbot of Glastonburye sayinge thes wordes followinge, at the doinge on of the same:—</p> -<p>"<span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Accipe vestem hanc purpuream, quâ semper munitus non verearis pro -fide Christi, libertate ecclesiæ et oppressorum tuitione fortiter +<p>"<span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Accipe vestem hanc purpuream, quâ semper munitus non verearis pro +fide Christi, libertate ecclesiæ et oppressorum tuitione fortiter dimicare, et sanguinem effundere, in signum Ordinis et augmentum tui honoris</span>.</p> @@ -15454,7 +15436,7 @@ George abowt his necke, the saide Abbott saying thes wordes:—</p> <p>"<span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Imaginem gloriosissimi martiris Georgii, hujus Ordinis patroni, in collo tuo deferes, cujus fultus presidio hujus mundi prospera et adversa sic pertranseas, ut hostibus corporis et animi devictis, -non modo temporalis militiæ gloriam, sed perennis victoriæ palmam +non modo temporalis militiæ gloriam, sed perennis victoriæ palmam accipere valeas, in signum Ordinis et augmentum tui honoris</span>."</p> <p>Hollinshed, following Hall, informs us that "Sir Gilbert Talbot, @@ -15512,21 +15494,21 @@ et vigesimo die quam sedere coeperat. Creatur in ejus locum Julianus, Cardinalis Sti. Petri ad Vincula, patria Ligur, dictusque est Julius Secundus. Huic postea illi tres regis oratores congratulatum inerunt, quos Hadrianus Castellensis episcopus Herefordensis, quem paulo -ante Alexander Cardinalem fecerat, Romæ hospitio excepit. Hunc rex +ante Alexander Cardinalem fecerat, Romæ hospitio excepit. Hunc rex Henricus sub idem tempus ab Herefordensi sede ad Bathoniensem ac -Wellensem transferri curavit. At Hadrianus, ut præter sua quotidiana -obsequia, quæ tam regi quam Anglis omnibus libens præstabat, aliquo -diuturniori memoriæ monumento relinqueret, apud omnes testatum se +Wellensem transferri curavit. At Hadrianus, ut præter sua quotidiana +obsequia, quæ tam regi quam Anglis omnibus libens præstabat, aliquo +diuturniori memoriæ monumento relinqueret, apud omnes testatum se memorem fuisse acceptorum beneficiorum ab Henrico, atque nomen -Anglicum amasse, donavit regi palatium magnificum quod ipse Romæ -in Vaticano ædificaverat, ornavitque regis insignibus, ut in +Anglicum amasse, donavit regi palatium magnificum quod ipse Romæ +in Vaticano ædificaverat, ornavitque regis insignibus, ut in ea luce hominum aliquod egregium opus nomini Anglico dedicatum conspiceretur.<a name="FNanchor_317_319" id="FNanchor_317_319"></a><a href="#Footnote_317_319" class="fnanchor">[317]</a> Item, iidem oratores detulerunt habitum Garterii -ordinis Guidoni Duci Urbini, principi seculo nostro Latinæ Linguæ -simul ac Græcæ ac militaris disciplinæ peritissimo, quem Rex paulo +ordinis Guidoni Duci Urbini, principi seculo nostro Latinæ Linguæ +simul ac Græcæ ac militaris disciplinæ peritissimo, quem Rex paulo ante in Collegium ipsius Ordinis asciverat. Dux postea destinavit in Angliam Baldasarem Castilliorum, natione Mantuanum, equitem tam -doctrinâ quam bellicâ virtute præstantem, ut suo nomine ejus Ordinis +doctrinâ quam bellicâ virtute præstantem, ut suo nomine ejus Ordinis cerimonias exequeret. Fuit Baldaser ab Henrico perbenigne exceptus, atque comiter habitus; qui, finitis ceremoniis, non indonatus, postmodum ad suum Decem redivit</span>."<a name="FNanchor_318_320" id="FNanchor_318_320"></a><a href="#Footnote_318_320" class="fnanchor">[318]</a></p> @@ -16109,22 +16091,22 @@ Sinigaglia in the nave of Sta. Maria delle Grazie, runs thus:—</p> <br /> <span class="ind2"><span class="smcap">Johannes de Ruvere</span>,</span><br /> <br /> -Senogalliæ vetustissimæ civitatis<br /> -Dominus, Almæ urbis Prefectus,<br /> -Sori Arcanæque Dux, exercituum Sixti<br /> +Senogalliæ vetustissimæ civitatis<br /> +Dominus, Almæ urbis Prefectus,<br /> +Sori Arcanæque Dux, exercituum Sixti<br /> Quarti, Innocentii Octavi, summus Imperator,<br /> Maximorum Pontificium Sixti nepos,<br /> -Julii Secundi frater, cum uxore suâ<br /> -Joannâ Monfeltriâ, Federici Urbini<br /> -Ducis filiâ, præstantioribus<br /> +Julii Secundi frater, cum uxore suâ<br /> +Joannâ Monfeltriâ, Federici Urbini<br /> +Ducis filiâ, præstantioribus<br /> Et nobilioribus feminis, adversis<br /> -Secundisque rebus, conferendâ et<br /> -Preferendâ, magnum hoc templum<br /> +Secundisque rebus, conferendâ et<br /> +Preferendâ, magnum hoc templum<br /> Affundamentis erexit; et multis<br /> Egregiis tam bello quam pace actis,<br /> Procaci abreptus morte,<br /> Anno Domini <span class="sm">MDI</span>.,<br /> -Ætatisque suæ quadragesimo quarto,<br /> +Ætatisque suæ quadragesimo quarto,<br /> Hic tumulatur.</span> </td> </tr> @@ -16154,7 +16136,7 @@ Pope and the Church by secretly plotting for restoration of the Bentivoglii, and for defeat of the army under command of the Duke, as well as by withdrawing to Ravenna on pretext of terror, but in fact to conceal his treason. That having, by these and many other -enormities, incurred the guilt of treason and lèse-majesty, he was +enormities, incurred the guilt of treason and lèse-majesty, he was slain by Francesco Maria; and that, on a complaint of this outrage being preferred, his Holiness, judging from the first aspect of the affair that this crime against the dignity of the purple afforded so @@ -16186,7 +16168,7 @@ a papal brief of the 10th of January, 1513, addressed to himself, wherein it was stated that he had been accused by many of maintaining intelligence with the King of France before the battle of Ravenna, and of other intrigues against the Roman Government, as well as of -various crimes, including slaughter of cardinals and lèse-majesty, +various crimes, including slaughter of cardinals and lèse-majesty, and that he had in consequence been deprived of his dukedom and dignities; but that having experienced his zeal and good faith in the like matters, the Pontiff could not persuade himself of his @@ -16203,19 +16185,19 @@ clauses. The brief is addressed, but has no counter-signature; a transumpt of it in the same archive has the name "Baldassar Tuerdus" as a counter-signature.</p> -<p><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">"Motu proprio, et ex certâ nostrâ scientiâ ac maturâ deliberatione, -et apostolice potestatis plenitudine, apostolicâ auctoritate, tenore +<p><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">"Motu proprio, et ex certâ nostrâ scientiâ ac maturâ deliberatione, +et apostolice potestatis plenitudine, apostolicâ auctoritate, tenore presentium, tibi et illis plenarie remittimus pariter et indulgemus, teque ac illos, et illorum singulos, ab omnibus sententiis censuris et penis quibuslibet, spiritualibus et temporalibus, a jure vel ab -homine quomodolibet promulgatis, auctoritate scientiâ et potestate +homine quomodolibet promulgatis, auctoritate scientiâ et potestate predictis, absolvimus et liberamus, ac te tuosque filios, natos et nascituros ac heredes quoscunque, ad Vicariatum, Ducatum, Comitatus, teque ac subditos, adherentes, complices ac sequaces, ac singulorum eorundem heredes, ad feuda, dominia, honores et dignitates, offitia, privelegia, bona ac jura, ac ad actus legitimos, quibus forsan -premissorum, et aliâ quâcunque occasione, etiam de necessitate -experimendâ privati, censeri possetis, auctoritate scientiâ et +premissorum, et aliâ quâcunque occasione, etiam de necessitate +experimendâ privati, censeri possetis, auctoritate scientiâ et potestate premissis restituimus, et etiam reintegramus, et ad eundem statum reducimus et reponimus, in quo tu et illi eratis ante tempus quo premissa commisissetis; districtius inhibentes quibuscunque @@ -16572,7 +16554,7 @@ children are denoted by a wavy line, here represented by a dotted line.</p> <td colspan="12"> </td> <td colspan="7" class="vatc"><span class="smcap">Galeotto</span>, Cardinal<br />of S. Pietro<br />in Vincula.</td> <td> </td> - <td colspan="4" class="vatc"><span class="smcap">Nicolò</span></td> + <td colspan="4" class="vatc"><span class="smcap">Nicolò</span></td> <td colspan="2" class="vatc">=</td> <td colspan="4" class="vatc"><span class="smcap">——</span></td> <td> </td> @@ -16691,12 +16673,12 @@ children are denoted by a wavy line, here represented by a dotted line.</p> <td colspan="4" class="br"> </td> <td> </td> <td colspan="3" class="vatc"><span class="smcap">Giulia</span></td> - <td colspan="2" class="vatc"><span class="msm">1548.</span><br />=<br />§</td> + <td colspan="2" class="vatc"><span class="msm">1548.</span><br />=<br />§</td> <td colspan="6" class="vatc"><span class="smcap">Alfonso d’Este</span>,<br />Marq. of<br />Montecchio, of<br />whom the Dukes<br />of Modena.</td> <td> </td> <td colspan="4" class="vatc"><span class="smcap">Elisabetta</span>,<br />d. 1561.</td> - <td colspan="2" class="vatc"><span class="msm">1552.</span><br />=<br />§</td> - <td colspan="4" class="vatc"><span class="smcap">Alberico<br />Cibò</span>,<br />Marquis<br />of Massa.</td> + <td colspan="2" class="vatc"><span class="msm">1552.</span><br />=<br />§</td> + <td colspan="4" class="vatc"><span class="smcap">Alberico<br />Cibò</span>,<br />Marquis<br />of Massa.</td> <td> </td> <td colspan="4" class="vatc"><span class="smcap">Giulio</span>,<br />Cardinal<br />Archbishop<br />of Urbino,<br />1533,<br />d. 1578.</td> </tr> @@ -16840,7 +16822,7 @@ children are denoted by a wavy line, here represented by a dotted line.</p> <tr> <td colspan="17"> </td> <td colspan="6" class="vatc"><span class="smcap">Vittoria</span>,<br />b. 1622, d. 1694.</td> - <td colspan="2" class="vatc"><span class="msm">1637.</span><br />=<br />§</td> + <td colspan="2" class="vatc"><span class="msm">1637.</span><br />=<br />§</td> <td colspan="8" class="vatc"><span class="smcap">Ferdinand II.</span>,<br />Grand Duke of Florence,<br />b. 1630, d. 1670.</td> <td colspan="17"> </td> </tr> @@ -16852,7 +16834,7 @@ children are denoted by a wavy line, here represented by a dotted line.</p> <hr class="med" /> <h3><a id="MEDICI_DESCENT"></a>DESCENT OF THE MEDICI, as connected with URBINO.</h3> -<p class="center"><i>From <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Les Généaologies Souveraines</span>.</i></p> +<p class="center"><i>From <span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Les Généaologies Souveraines</span>.</i></p> <div class="treebody"> <table style="font-size: 85%; width: 100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="Medici descent"> @@ -17033,7 +17015,7 @@ children are denoted by a wavy line, here represented by a dotted line.</p> <td> </td> <td colspan="4" class="vatc"><span class="smcap">Maddalena</span></td> <td class="vatc">=</td> - <td colspan="6" class="vatc"><span class="smcap">Francesco Cibò</span>,<br />Count of Anguillara.</td> + <td colspan="6" class="vatc"><span class="smcap">Francesco Cibò</span>,<br />Count of Anguillara.</td> <td class="br"> </td> <td colspan="6"> </td> </tr> @@ -17266,7 +17248,7 @@ children are denoted by a wavy line, here represented by a dotted line.</p> <td colspan="7" class="vatc"><span class="smcap">Imperiale Colonna</span>.</td> <td colspan="5"> </td> <td colspan="4" class="vatc"><span class="smcap">Caterina</span>,<br />d. 1438.</td> - <td class="vatc">=<br />§</td> + <td class="vatc">=<br />§</td> <td colspan="6" class="vatc"><span class="smcap">Guidantonio</span>,<br />Count of Urbino.</td> </tr> <!-- Row 8 --> @@ -17326,7 +17308,7 @@ children are denoted by a wavy line, here represented by a dotted line.</p> <!-- Row 15 --> <tr> <td colspan="6" class="vatc"><span class="smcap">Ascanio</span>, Grand<br />Constable of Naples,<br />claimant of Urbino,<br />d. 1557.</td> - <td class="vatc">=<br />§</td> + <td class="vatc">=<br />§</td> <td colspan="7" class="vatc"><span class="smcap">Giovanna d’Aragona</span>,<br />natural branch of<br />the Crown of Naples.</td> <td> </td> <td colspan="4" class="vatc"><span class="smcap">Vittoria</span>,<br />b. 1490,<br />d. 1548.</td> @@ -17487,7 +17469,7 @@ short but excellent account in English of the whole Sienese affair, <tr> <td> <span lang="la" xml:lang="la"> -"Neque enim lex æquior ulla<br /> +"Neque enim lex æquior ulla<br /> Quam necis artifices arte perire sua."<br /> <span style="margin-left: 5em"><span class="smcap">Ovid</span>. <i>Ar. Amat.</i> i. 655.</span> </span> @@ -17544,8 +17526,8 @@ append a brief list of authorities for the Borgia:—</p> <li><span class="smcap">Leonetti</span>, <i>Papa Alessandro VI.</i> (1880).</li> <li><span class="smcap">d'Epinois</span>, in <i>Revue des Questions Historiques</i> (April, 1881).</li> <li><span class="smcap">Vehon</span>, <i>Les Borgia</i> (1882).</li> -<li><span class="smcap">Maricourt</span>, <i>Le Procès des Borgia</i> (1883).</li> -<li><span class="smcap">Yriarte</span>, <i>César Borgia</i> (1887).</li> +<li><span class="smcap">Maricourt</span>, <i>Le Procès des Borgia</i> (1883).</li> +<li><span class="smcap">Yriarte</span>, <i>César Borgia</i> (1887).</li> <li>—— <i>Autour des Borgias</i> (1891).</li> </ul> </div> @@ -17614,7 +17596,7 @@ rhetoric.</p></div> <tr> <td> <span lang="la" xml:lang="la"> -"Omnia vincebas, sperabas omnia Cæsar;<br /> +"Omnia vincebas, sperabas omnia Cæsar;<br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Omnia deficiunt, incipis esse nihil."</span></span> </td> </tr> @@ -17880,7 +17862,7 @@ Lungo</span>, <i>La Recitazione dei Menaechmi in Firenze e il doppio prologo della Calandria</i>, in the <i>Arch. Stor. Ital.</i>, series III., vol. XXII., pp. 346-51. Machiavelli's estimate of Bibbiena will be found in <i>Lettere Famil. di N. Machiavelli</i>, Firenze, 1883, p. 304, -"<span lang="it" xml:lang="it">Bibbiena, hora cardinale, in verità ha gentile ingegno, ed è homo +"<span lang="it" xml:lang="it">Bibbiena, hora cardinale, in verità ha gentile ingegno, ed è homo faceto et discreto, et ha durato a' suoi di gran fatica</span>."</p></div> <div class="footnote"> @@ -17918,7 +17900,7 @@ quoted works with which I am familiar.</p> sec. XVI.</i>, in <i>Nuova Antologia</i> (new series), vol. XI., fasc. 19-20. </p> <p> -<span class="smcap">Frati</span>, <i>La Donna Italiana secondo i più recenti studi</i> +<span class="smcap">Frati</span>, <i>La Donna Italiana secondo i più recenti studi</i> (Torino, 1889). </p> <p> @@ -17930,7 +17912,7 @@ in una serie di Conferenze</i> (Firenze, 1890). </p> <p> <span class="smcap">Dazzi</span>, <i>Alcune lettere familiari del sec. XIV.</i> in -<i>Curiosità Letterarie</i>, fasc. XC. (Bologna, 1868). +<i>Curiosità Letterarie</i>, fasc. XC. (Bologna, 1868). </p> <p> <span class="smcap">Anon.</span>, <i>Difesa delle Donne</i> (Bologna, 1876). @@ -18066,12 +18048,12 @@ delle donne</i> (Milano, 1862), pp. 30, 31. Senese</i>, vol. VI., fasc. 1. </p> <p> -<span class="smcap">Sansovino</span>, <i>Venetia città nobilissima e singolare</i> (1663), +<span class="smcap">Sansovino</span>, <i>Venetia città nobilissima e singolare</i> (1663), fol. 150 <i>et seq.</i> </p> <p> -<span class="smcap">Yriarte</span>, <i>La vie d'un Patricien de Venise au 16<span class="super">me</span> siècle</i> -(Les femmes à Venise) (Paris, 1874), and see rare authorities there +<span class="smcap">Yriarte</span>, <i>La vie d'un Patricien de Venise au 16<span class="super">me</span> siècle</i> +(Les femmes à Venise) (Paris, 1874), and see rare authorities there quoted. In Venice, the prescribed bridal dress seems to have been that of Titian's Flora—the hair fell free on the shoulders. The <i>Proveditori alle Pompe</i> were established in Venice in 1514. @@ -18117,11 +18099,11 @@ assumed as the origin of many fatal maladies.</p></div> <tr> <td> <span lang="it" xml:lang="it"> -"Una stagion fu già, che sì il terreno<br /> +"Una stagion fu già , che sì il terreno<br /> Arse, che 'l sol di nuovo a Faetonte<br /> De' suoi corsier parea aver dato il freno:<br /> <span style="margin-left: 1em;">Secco ogni pozzo, secco era ogni fonte,</span><br /> -Gli stagni, i rivi, e i fiumi più famosi,<br /> +Gli stagni, i rivi, e i fiumi più famosi,<br /> Tutti passar si potean senza ponte."<br /> <span style="margin-left: 9em"><span class="smcap">Ariosto</span>, <i>Satira</i> iii.</span></span> </td> @@ -18157,8 +18139,8 @@ uncle's death, mentions his partaking of the last sacraments from the Bishop of Fossombrone, in these terms, "<span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Quiquidem Deos illi superos atque manes placavit</span>"? Such idioms will not bear retranslation. The expression employed by Castiglione, though tinged with the cold -formality of classicism, is less startling: "<span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Ut ungeretur more sanctæ -matris ecclesiæ rogavit</span>." But a pagan taint may often be sadly traced +formality of classicism, is less startling: "<span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Ut ungeretur more sanctæ +matris ecclesiæ rogavit</span>." But a pagan taint may often be sadly traced upon the devotion of this age. In the first volume of Vaissieux's <i>Archivio Storico d'Italia</i>, the last hours of a convict, condemned at Florence in 1500, are thus narrated by an eye-witness:—Pietro @@ -18169,7 +18151,7 @@ an ordinary <i><span lang="la" xml:lang="la">viaticum</span></i>. Refusing to be of St. Mark's, he adjured an attendant friend to aid in getting Brutus out of his head, in order that he might make a Christian end. Nor was this heterodoxy exclusively Italian. Cervantes, in a -recently recovered fragment, <i>El Buscapié</i>, says, "I dislike to see +recently recovered fragment, <i>El Buscapié</i>, says, "I dislike to see the graceful and pious language befitting the Christian muse mingled with the profane phraseology of heathenism. Who can be otherwise than displeased to find the name of God, of the Holy Virgin, and @@ -18198,12 +18180,12 @@ It is too long to quote. Cf. <span class="smcap">Luzio</span> and <span class="s <div class="footnote"> -<p><a name="Footnote_62_63" id="Footnote_62_63"></a><a href="#FNanchor_62_63"><span class="label">[62]</span></a> "<span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Itaque multas sæpè feminas vidi, audivi etiàm esse -plures, quæ certarum omninò virtutum, optimarum quidem illarum atque -clarissimarum, sed tamèn perpaucarum splendore illustrarentur: in -quâ verò omnes collectæ conjunctæque virtutes conspicerentur, hæc -una extitit, cujus omninò parem atque similem aut etiam inferiorem -paulò, non modò non vidi ullam, sed ea ubi esset etiàm ne audivi +<p><a name="Footnote_62_63" id="Footnote_62_63"></a><a href="#FNanchor_62_63"><span class="label">[62]</span></a> "<span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Itaque multas sæpè feminas vidi, audivi etià m esse +plures, quæ certarum omninò virtutum, optimarum quidem illarum atque +clarissimarum, sed tamèn perpaucarum splendore illustrarentur: in +quâ verò omnes collectæ conjunctæque virtutes conspicerentur, hæc +una extitit, cujus omninò parem atque similem aut etiam inferiorem +paulò, non modò non vidi ullam, sed ea ubi esset etià m ne audivi quidem</span>."—Bembo de Guidobaldo.</p></div> <div class="footnote"> @@ -18232,13 +18214,13 @@ because of the old. Burckhardt, one of the greatest students of our time, seems to have understood this also with his usual happiness. M. Auguste Gerard tells us in his notice of the life of its author, which serves as a Preface to the French edition of <i>Le Cicerone</i>, -that "<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Burckhardt en vrai disciple de la Renaissance considérait -l'Italie comme un tout continu; et dans l'histoire de l'art de même -que dans l'énumération des œuvres, il ne séparait pas l'Italie -antique de l'Italie moderne. La section du <i>Cicerone</i> qui était -dédiée à l'architecture commençait aux temples de Paestum pour -finir aux villas Napolitaines et Génoises des XVII<span class="super">e</span> et XVIII<span class="super">e</span> -siècles</span>." In that idea lies the future of all criticism.</p></div> +that "<span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">Burckhardt en vrai disciple de la Renaissance considérait +l'Italie comme un tout continu; et dans l'histoire de l'art de même +que dans l'énumération des œuvres, il ne séparait pas l'Italie +antique de l'Italie moderne. La section du <i>Cicerone</i> qui était +dédiée à l'architecture commençait aux temples de Paestum pour +finir aux villas Napolitaines et Génoises des XVII<span class="super">e</span> et XVIII<span class="super">e</span> +siècles</span>." In that idea lies the future of all criticism.</p></div> <div class="footnote"> @@ -18261,7 +18243,7 @@ real sense the gods in exile, they are excellent imitations of them.</p></div> with which he was hailed by Cosimo de' Medici. Cf. Ficino in preface to his <i>Plotini Epitome</i> (Firenze, 1492). "<span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Magnus Cosimus, quo tempore concilium inter Graecos et Latinos, sub Eugenio pontefice -Florentinæ tractabatur, philosophum Graecum, nomine Gemistum +Florentinæ tractabatur, philosophum Graecum, nomine Gemistum cognomine Plethonem, quasi Platonem alterum de mysteriis Platonicis disputantem frequenter audivit; e cujus ore ferventi sic afflatus est protinus, sic animatus, ut inde Academiam quandam alta mente @@ -18332,7 +18314,7 @@ to notice them.</p></div> <div class="footnote"> <p><a name="Footnote_73_74" id="Footnote_73_74"></a><a href="#FNanchor_73_74"><span class="label">[73]</span></a> The MS. is No. 497-8 of the Vat. Urb. MSS. An edition -in folio was published at Bâle in 1546.</p></div> +in folio was published at Bâle in 1546.</p></div> <div class="footnote"> @@ -18346,7 +18328,7 @@ delle sue biografie</i> (Pisa, 1887).</p></div> <div class="footnote"> -<p><a name="Footnote_75_76" id="Footnote_75_76"></a><a href="#FNanchor_75_76"><span class="label">[75]</span></a> <i>Spicilegium Romanum</i>, tom. I. (Romæ, 1839). Vat. Urb. +<p><a name="Footnote_75_76" id="Footnote_75_76"></a><a href="#FNanchor_75_76"><span class="label">[75]</span></a> <i>Spicilegium Romanum</i>, tom. I. (Romæ, 1839). Vat. Urb. MSS. 941.</p></div> <div class="footnote"> @@ -18377,7 +18359,7 @@ seq.</i></p></div> <span lang="la" xml:lang="la"> "Disce, puer, virtutem ex me, verumque laborem;<br /> Fortunam ex aliis."<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 13em"><i>Æneid</i> XII., 345.</span></span> +<span style="margin-left: 13em"><i>Æneid</i> XII., 345.</span></span> </td> </tr> </table> @@ -18387,7 +18369,7 @@ Dryden has missed the point of this passage.</p></div> <div class="footnote"> <p><a name="Footnote_79_80" id="Footnote_79_80"></a><a href="#FNanchor_79_80"><span class="label">[79]</span></a> "<span lang="la" xml:lang="la">Quid autem ineptius quam, toto seculo renovato, -religione, imperiis, magistratibus, locorum vocabulis, ædificiis, +religione, imperiis, magistratibus, locorum vocabulis, ædificiis, cultu, moribus, non aliter audire, loqui, quam locutus est Cicero? Si revivisceret ipse Cicero, rideret hoc Ciceronianorum genus</span>."—<span class="smcap">Erasmus</span>.</p></div> @@ -18422,8 +18404,8 @@ i.</p></div> of Alphonso I. of Aragon and of Naples, and later the secretary and familiar of Sigismondo Malatesta. Porcellio seems to have hated Basinio, another court poet, whose works, with a long commentary, -have been published (<span class="smcap">Battaglini</span>, <i>Basinii, Parmensis Poetæ -Opera Præstantiora</i> (Rimini, 1794)). Basinio seems to have proved +have been published (<span class="smcap">Battaglini</span>, <i>Basinii, Parmensis Poetæ +Opera Præstantiora</i> (Rimini, 1794)). Basinio seems to have proved before the Court of Rimini that Porcellio was ignorant of Greek. "One can be a fine Latin poet without knowing Greek," he answered in a rage, but truly enough. Basinio, however, asserted that not only @@ -18452,7 +18434,7 @@ e docum. per la vita di Giov. Santi e di Raffaello Santi da Urbino</i> (Modena, 1870); <span class="smcap">Guerrini</span>, <i>Elogio Stor. di Giov. Santi</i> (Urbino, 1822); <span class="smcap">Schmarzow</span>, <i>Giovanni Santi der Vater Raffaels</i>, in <i>Kunstchronik</i> (Leipsig), An. XXIII., No. 27; -<span class="smcap">Schmarzow</span>, <i>Giovanni Santi</i> in <i>Vierteljahrsschrift für +<span class="smcap">Schmarzow</span>, <i>Giovanni Santi</i> in <i>Vierteljahrsschrift für Kultur und Lett. der Renaissance</i> (Leipsig), vol. II., Nos. 2-4. Cf. also <span class="smcap">Crowe & Cavalcaselle</span>, <i>History of Painting in Italy</i>, vol. III.</p></div> @@ -18568,7 +18550,7 @@ classical.</p></div> <p><a name="Footnote_105_106" id="Footnote_105_106"></a><a href="#FNanchor_105_106"><span class="label">[105]</span></a> A large picture of the Glorification of the Madonna, long placed in the Belle Arti at Florence, was painted by Sandro Botticelli for Matteo Palmieri, who, in his Dantesque poem entitled -<i>La Città della Vita</i>, has advanced a theory that, in Lucifer's +<i>La Città della Vita</i>, has advanced a theory that, in Lucifer's rebellion, a certain number of angels assumed a neutral attitude, as a punishment for which they were doomed to a term of trial in the quality of human souls. Although never printed, this work was @@ -18739,7 +18721,7 @@ Simone Martini, the Sienese, in S. Francesco, at Assisi.</p></div> <div class="footnote"> -<p><a name="Footnote_130_132" id="Footnote_130_132"></a><a href="#FNanchor_130_132"><span class="label">[130]</span></a> The Ordo Officiorum Senensis Ecclesiæ, a MS. of 1215, +<p><a name="Footnote_130_132" id="Footnote_130_132"></a><a href="#FNanchor_130_132"><span class="label">[130]</span></a> The Ordo Officiorum Senensis Ecclesiæ, a MS. of 1215, in the library of Siena, has been ascribed to him, by confusion with another Oderico, a canon there; it possesses no artistic merit whatever.</p></div> @@ -18906,7 +18888,7 @@ Oddantonio. See below, <a href="#CHAPTER_XXX">ch. xxx.</a></p></div> <div class="footnote"> <p><a name="Footnote_152_154" id="Footnote_152_154"></a><a href="#FNanchor_152_154"><span class="label">[152]</span></a> It is very unsatisfactorily engraved in -<span class="smcap">Bonnard's</span> <i>Costumes du Treizième au Quinzième Siècle</i>.</p></div> +<span class="smcap">Bonnard's</span> <i>Costumes du Treizième au Quinzième Siècle</i>.</p></div> <div class="footnote"> @@ -18984,7 +18966,7 @@ Artistiche.</p></div> <div class="footnote"> <p><a name="Footnote_162_164" id="Footnote_162_164"></a><a href="#FNanchor_162_164"><span class="label">[162]</span></a> <i>Elogio Storico di Giovanni Santi</i>; Rafael von Urbino. -The few facts of importance which the Abbé's microscopic researches +The few facts of importance which the Abbé's microscopic researches have ascertained are scarcely extricable from the confusion that prevails in his eulogy and its accompanying, or rather darkening, notes. The catalogue of Sanzi's works is useful to travellers, though @@ -19059,7 +19041,7 @@ Dennistoun (Edinburgh, 1842).</li> <p><a name="Footnote_167_169" id="Footnote_167_169"></a><a href="#FNanchor_167_169"><span class="label">[167]</span></a> We have already accounted for the change of his surname to Sanzio, at <a href="#Page_216">p. 216</a>. His Christian name, in modern Italian -Raffaello, seems to have been spelt by himself Raphællo and Raffaele. +Raffaello, seems to have been spelt by himself Raphællo and Raffaele. *Raphael was born on Good Friday, 28 March, 1483.</p></div> <div class="footnote"> @@ -19104,7 +19086,7 @@ without the Sacraments of the Church, rests on no good foundation.</p></div> <p><a name="Footnote_175_177" id="Footnote_175_177"></a><a href="#FNanchor_175_177"><span class="label">[*175]</span></a> The first independent picture which he painted after coming to Perugia was the <i>Crucifixion</i>, now in the possession of Mr. Ludwig Mond. This was painted in 1501 or early in 1502, because the -Vitelli for whom it was painted were driven out of Città di Castello +Vitelli for whom it was painted were driven out of Città di Castello in the latter year. I know nothing of any return to Urbino in 1499. He went back in 1504.</p></div> @@ -19219,7 +19201,7 @@ wish to pass into the painters' studio.</p></div> <p><a name="Footnote_194_196" id="Footnote_194_196"></a><a href="#FNanchor_194_196"><span class="label">[*194]</span></a> In the Cathedral sacristy is the St. Martin and St. Thomas of 1504, with the founders beside them. In the Pinacoteca there is a half figure of S. Sebastian, the figures of S. Roch and of -Tobias with the Angel. The S. Apollonia, once in S. Trinità is now in +Tobias with the Angel. The S. Apollonia, once in S. Trinità is now in the Gallery. Of these, the S. Sebastian, S. Roch, and Tobias show the influence of Giovanni Santi, the other two the influence of Raphael.</p></div> @@ -19258,7 +19240,7 @@ Prassede.</p></div> <div class="footnote"> <p><a name="Footnote_200_202" id="Footnote_200_202"></a><a href="#FNanchor_200_202"><span class="label">[200]</span></a> <i>Sketches of the History of Christian Art</i>, Letter -VIII., especially part II., §§ 1, 2, 4, and part III., § 6.</p></div> +VIII., especially part II., §§ 1, 2, 4, and part III., § 6.</p></div> <div class="footnote"> @@ -19388,7 +19370,7 @@ and <span class="smcap">Marcucci</span>, <i>Francesco Maria I. della Rovere</i>, (Ulm, 1496). Cf. <span class="smcap">Burchard</span> (ed. Thuasne), I., p. 528. The amount seems to have been 45,000 ducats. See especially <span class="smcap">Heidenheimer</span>, <i>Korrespondenz Bajazet II.'s mit Alexander -VI.</i>, in <i>Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte</i>, vol. V., p. 511 <i>et +VI.</i>, in <i>Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte</i>, vol. V., p. 511 <i>et seq.</i> As usual, Creighton's account, <i>op. cit.</i>, vol. IV., is most excellent, written with the pen of a statesman. Heidenheimer maintains the authenticity of the letters, and Creighton agrees @@ -19436,7 +19418,7 @@ and printed by Masse in his <i>Histoire du Pape Alexander VI.</i>, pp. <div class="footnote"> <p><a name="Footnote_226_228" id="Footnote_226_228"></a><a href="#FNanchor_226_228"><span class="label">[*226]</span></a> For authorities for Pope Julius II., cf. -<span class="smcap">Creighton</span>, vol. V., pp. 305-6, where an excellent <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">résumé</span></i> +<span class="smcap">Creighton</span>, vol. V., pp. 305-6, where an excellent <i><span lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">résumé</span></i> is given.</p></div> <div class="footnote"> @@ -19800,8 +19782,8 @@ by Leone, p. 222.</p></div> <div class="footnote"> <p><a name="Footnote_272_274" id="Footnote_272_274"></a><a href="#FNanchor_272_274"><span class="label">[*272]</span></a> "<span lang="it" xml:lang="it">Gli pareva gran vergogna della Chiesa che ad un -duchetto basti l'animo di fare questa novità; e il papa tremeva, ed -era quasi fuor di sè</span>." Cf. <span class="smcap">Giorgi</span>, <i>Relazioni Venete</i>, 2nd +duchetto basti l'animo di fare questa novità ; e il papa tremeva, ed +era quasi fuor di sè</span>." Cf. <span class="smcap">Giorgi</span>, <i>Relazioni Venete</i>, 2nd series, vol. III., p. 47.</p></div> <div class="footnote"> @@ -20171,7 +20153,7 @@ Vergilio, see above, <a href="#Page_115">pp. 115-18</a>.</p></div> <p><a name="Footnote_319_321" id="Footnote_319_321"></a><a href="#FNanchor_319_321"><span class="label">[319]</span></a> I can find nothing in support of Roscoe's assertion that he was wounded while aiding Guidobaldo to recover his duchy, and -the whole facts seem to contradict it. <i>Leo X.</i>, ch. vii., § 7, note. +the whole facts seem to contradict it. <i>Leo X.</i>, ch. vii., § 7, note. That usually accurate writer has fallen into the mistake of ascribing to the Count's <i>sister</i> his interment and monumental inscription in the church of the Minims, near Mantua, while the epitaph which he has @@ -20243,360 +20225,6 @@ appropriate HTML characters, carons are used instead.</p> </div> <p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEMOIRS OF THE DUKES OF URBINO, VOLUME II (OF 3)***</p> -<p>******* This file should be named 44235-h.txt or 44235-h.zip *******</p> -<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/4/2/3/44235">http://www.gutenberg.org/4/4/2/3/44235</a></p> -<p> -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed.</p> - -<p> -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: Memoirs of the Dukes of Urbino, Volume II (of 3) - Illustrating the Arms, Arts, and Literature of Italy, from 1440 To 1630. - - -Author: James Dennistoun - -Editor: Edward Hutton - -Release Date: November 21, 2013 [eBook #44235] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEMOIRS OF THE DUKES OF URBINO, -VOLUME II (OF 3)*** - - -E-text prepared by Suzanne Lybarger, Linda Cantoni, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images -generously made available by Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries -(https://archive.org/details/toronto) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 44235-h.htm or 44235-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/44235/44235-h/44235-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/44235/44235-h.zip) - - - Project Gutenberg has the other two volumes of this work. - Volume I: see http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42560 - Volume III (including the index): see http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50577 - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries. See - https://archive.org/details/memoirsofdukeso02dennuoft - - -Transcriber's note: - - This work was originally published in 1851. As noted below, - footnotes marked by an asterisk were added by the editor - of the 1909 edition, from which this e-book was prepared. - - Obvious printer errors have been corrected without note. - Other errors are indicated by a [Transcriber's Note]. - - Certain spelling inconsistencies have been made consistent; - for example, variants of Michelangelo's last name have been - changed to Buonarroti. Archaic spellings in English and - Italian have been retained as they appear in the original. - - The original contains several letters with non-standard - tildes. These are represented in brackets, e.g., [~v]. - - In the original book the genealogical charts at the end - contained section symbols (double-S characters). They are - represented by {S}. - - Full-page illustrations have been moved so as not to break - up the flow of the text. - - - - - -MEMOIRS OF THE DUKES OF URBINO - -Illustrating the Arms, Arts & Literature of Italy, 1440-1630 - -by - -JAMES DENNISTOUN OF DENNISTOUN - -A New Edition with Notes by Edward Hutton -& Over a Hundred Illustrations - -In Three Volumes. VOLUME TWO - - - - - - - -[Illustration] - -London John Lane The Bodley Head -New York John Lane Company MCMIX - -William Brendon and Son, Ltd., Printers, Plymouth - - - - -[Illustration: _Alinari_ - -ELISABETTA DI MONTEFELTRO, DUCHESS OF URBINO - -_After the picture by Andrea Mantegna in the Uffizi Gallery, -Florence_] - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS OF VOLUME II. ix - - CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS OF VOLUME II. xi - - -BOOK THIRD - -(_continued_) - -OF GUIDOBALDO DI MONTEFELTRO, THIRD DUKE OF URBINO - - CHAPTER XIX - - The massacre of Sinigaglia--Death of Alexander VI.--Narrow - escape of Cesare Borgia 3 - - CHAPTER XX - - Duke Guidobaldo restored--The Election of Julius II.--The - fall of Cesare Borgia--The Duke's fortunate position--Is - made Knight of the Garter--The Pope visits Urbino 23 - - CHAPTER XXI - - The Court of Urbino, its manners and its stars 43 - - CHAPTER XXII - - Emilia Pia--The _Cortegiano_--Death of Duke Guidobaldo, - succeeded by Francesco Maria della Rovere 72 - - -BOOK FOURTH - -OF LITERATURE AND ART UNDER THE DUKES DI MONTEFELTRO AT URBINO - - CHAPTER XXIII - - The revival of letters in Italy--Influence of the - princes--Classical tastes tending to pedantry and - paganism--Greek philosophy and its effects--Influence of - the Dukes of Urbino 93 - - CHAPTER XXIV - - Count Guidantonio a patron of learned men--Duke - Federigo--The _Assorditi_ Academy--Dedications to - him--Prose writers of Urbino--Gentile Becci, Bishop of - Arezzo--Francesco Venturini--Berni of Gubbio--Polydoro di - Vergilio--Vespasiano Filippi--Castiglione--Bembo--Learned - ladies 109 - - CHAPTER XXV - - Poetry under the Montefeltri--Sonnets--The Filelfi--Giovanni - Sanzi--Porcellio Pandonio--Angelo Galli--Federigo - Veterani--Urbani Urbinate--Antonio - Rustico--Naldio--Improvisatori--Bernardo Accolti--Serafino - d'Aquila--Agostino Staccoli--Early comedies--_La - Calandra_--Corruption of morals--Social position of women 130 - - CHAPTER XXVI - - Mediaeval art chiefly religious--Innovations of Naturalism, - Classicism, and Paganism--Character and tendencies of - Christian painting ill-understood in England--Influence of - St. Francis 157 - - CHAPTER XXVII - - The Umbrian School of Painting, its scholars and - influence--Fra Angelico da Fiesole--Gentile da - Fabriano--Pietro Perugino--Artists at Urbino--Piero della - Francesca--Fra Carnevale--Francesco di Giorgio 184 - - CHAPTER XXVIII - - Giovanni Sanzi of Urbino--His son, the immortal - Raffaele--Early influences on his mind--Paints at Perugia, - Citta di Castello, Siena, and Florence--His visits to Urbino, - and works there 216 - - CHAPTER XXIX - - Raffaele is called to Rome, and employed upon the - Stanze--His frescoes there--His other works--Change in his - manner--Compared with Michael Angelo--His death, character, - and style 235 - - CHAPTER XXX - - Timoteo Viti--Bramante--Andrea Mantegna--Gian - Bellini--Justus of Ghent--Medals of Urbino 254 - - -BOOK FIFTH - -OF THE DELLA ROVERE FAMILY - - CHAPTER XXXI - - Birth and elevation of Sixtus IV.--Genealogy of the della - Rovere family--Nepotism of that pontiff--His improvements - in Rome--His patronage of letters and arts--His brother - Giovanni becomes Lord of Sinigaglia and Prefect of - Rome--His beneficent sway--He pillages a papal - envoy--Remarkable story of Zizim or Gem--Portrait of - Giovanni--The early character and difficulties of Julius - II.--Estimate of his pontificate 277 - - -BOOK SIXTH - -OF FRANCESCO MARIA DELLA ROVERE, FOURTH DUKE OF URBINO - - CHAPTER XXXII - - Youth of Duke Francesco Maria I.--The League of - Cambray--His marriage--His first military service--The - Cardinal of Pavia's treachery--Julius II. takes the field 313 - - CHAPTER XXXIII - - The Duke routed at Bologna from the Cardinal of Pavia's - treason, whom he assassinates--He is prosecuted, but - finally absolved and reconciled to the Pope--He reduces - Bologna--Is invested with Pesaro--Death of Julius II. 334 - - CHAPTER XXXIV - - Election of Leo X.--His ambitious projects--Birth of - Prince Guidobaldo of Urbino--The Pontiff's designs upon - that state, which he gives to his nephew--The Duke retires - to Mantua 351 - - CHAPTER XXXV - - The Duke returns to his state--His struggle with the - usurper--His victory at Montebartolo 372 - - CHAPTER XXXVI - - Continuation of the ruinous contest--The Duke finally - abandons it--Death of Lorenzo de' Medici--Charles V. - elected Emperor 391 - - CHAPTER XXXVII - - Death of Leo X.--Restoration of Francesco Maria--He - enters the Venetian service--Louis XII. invades the - Milanese--Death of Bayard--The Duke's honourable reception - at Venice--Battle of Pavia 411 - - CHAPTER XXXVIII - - New league against Charles V.--The Duke's campaign in - Lombardy--His quarrels with Guicciardini--Rome pillaged - by the Colonna--The Constable Bourbon advances into - Central Italy--The Duke quells an insurrection at - Florence 433 - - -APPENDICES - - I. Portraits of Cesare Borgia 459 - - II. Duke Guidobaldo I. of Urbino, a Knight of the Garter 462 - - III. Giovanni Sanzi's MS. Chronicle of Federigo, - Duke of Urbino 471 - - IV. Epitaph of Giovanni della Rovere 480 - - V. Remission and rehabilitation of Duke Francesco Maria I. - in 1512-13 481 - - VI. Letter from Cardinal Wolsey to Lorenzo de' Medici 484 - - GENEALOGICAL TABLES _At end of book_ - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - - Elisabetta di Montefeltro, Duchess of Urbino. - After the picture by Andrea Mantegna in the Uffizi - Gallery, Florence. (Photo Alinari) _Frontispiece_ - - FACING PAGE - - Il Castello di Sinigaglia. (Photo Alinari) 10 - - Pope Julius II. From the picture by Raphael in the - Pitti Gallery, Florence. (Photo Anderson) 40 - - Portrait of a lady, her hair dressed in the manner - of the fifteenth century. From the picture by ? Verrocchio - in Poldo-Pezzoli Collection, Milan. (Photo Alinari) 44 - - A lady of the fifteenth century with jewels of the - period. (Photo Alinari) 48 - - Count Baldassare Castiglione. From a picture in the - Torlonia Gallery, Rome 50 - - Hair dressing in the fifteenth century. Detail from the - fresco by Pisanello in S. Anastasia of Verona. (Photo Alinari) 54 - - Cardinal Bembo. From a drawing once in the possession of - Cavaliere Agricola in Rome 62 - - Elisabetta Gonzaga, Duchess of Urbino. From a lead medal - by Adriano Fiorentino in the British Museum. By the - courtesy of G.F. Hill, Esq. 72 - - Emilia Pia. From a medal by Adriano Fiorentino in the - Vienna Museum. By the courtesy of G.F. Hill, Esq. 72 - - Hair dressing in the sixteenth century. After a picture - by Bissolo. (Photo Alinari) 76 - - Portrait of a lady in mourning. After the picture by - Pordenone in the Dresden Gallery. (Photo R. Tamme) 84 - - S. Martin and S. Thomas with Guidobaldo, Duke of Urbino, - and Bishop Arrivabeni. After the picture by Timoteo Viti - in the Duomo of Urbino. (Photo Alinari) 88 - - Baldassare Castiglione. After the picture by Raphael in - the Louvre. 120 - - Madonna del Belvedere. After the fresco by Ottaviano - Nelli in S. Maria Nuova, Gubbio 190 - - Madonna del Soccorso. After the gonfalone by a pupil of - Fiorenzo di Lorenzo in S. Francesco, Montone 196 - - Raphael, aged six years. From a picture once in the - possession of James Dennistoun 216 - - Raphael. After the portrait by himself in the Uffizi - Gallery, Florence. (Photo Anderson) 220 - - Madonna and child. After the picture by Giovanni Santi, - in the Pinacoteca of Urbino. (Photo Alinari) 224 - - Ecce Homo. From the picture by Giovanni Santi in the - Palazzo Ducale, Urbino. (Photo Alinari) 226 - - S. Sebastian. After the picture by Timoteo Viti in the - Palazzo Ducale, Urbino. (Photo Alinari) 228 - - Margherita "La Fornarina." After the picture by Raphael - called La Donna Velata in the Pitti Gallery, Florence. - (Photo Alinari) 230 - - Margherita "La Fornarina." After the spoiled picture by - Raphael in the Galleria Barberini in Rome. (Photo Anderson) 232 - - The Sposalizio. After the picture by Raphael, once in the - Ducal Collection at Urbino, now in the Brera, Milan. - (Photo Alinari) 240 - - Isabella of Aragon. After the picture by Raphael in the - Louvre 246 - - St. Sebastian. From the picture by Timoteo Viti in the - Palazzo Ducale, Urbino. (Photo Alinari) 254 - - Francesco Maria I. della Rovere. After the picture by - Titian in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence. (From the Ducal - Collection.) (Photo Alinari) 314 - - Venetian wedding-dress in the sixteenth century. After - the picture called "La Flora" by Titian in the Uffizi - Gallery, Florence. (Photo Anderson) 316 - - Detail of the Urbino Venus. Supposed portrait of - Duchess Leonora, from the picture by Titian in the - Uffizi Gallery, Florence. (Photo Anderson) 320 - - The girl in the fur-cloak. Possibly a portrait of Duchess - Leonora of Urbino. After the picture by Titian in the - Imperial Gallery, Vienna. (Photo Franz Hanfstaengl) 324 - - Duchess of Urbino, either Eleonora or Giulia Varana. - After the picture by Titian in the Uffizi Gallery, - Florence. Painted _ca._ 1538. (Photo Brogi) 328 - - Leo X. After the picture by Raphael in the Pitti Gallery, - Florence. (Photo Anderson) 352 - - Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici, Duke of Urbino. After the - picture by Bronzino in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence. - (Photo Alinari) 366 - - - - -CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE - - -CHAPTER XIX - - A.D. PAGE - - 1502. Dec. Valentino marches against Sinigaglia 3 - - " " 28. Which surrenders 4 - - " " 31. Cesare massacres the confederate chiefs 4 - - 1503. Jan. 2. His letter to the authorities at Perugia 6 - - " Feb. 22. Cardinal Orsini poisoned at Rome 8 - - " Jan. Machiavelli's indifference to the massacre 8 - - " " General extinction of moral feeling 10 - - " " 18. Further murders of the chiefs 11 - - " " Valentino in the Val di Chiana 11 - - " " Jealousy of Louis XII. 11 - - " " State of affairs at Urbino 12 - - " June. Siege of San Leo 13 - - " " Relieved by a dexterous stroke 13 - - " The Pontiff's wholesale poisonings 15 - - " Aug. 18. To which he fell himself a victim 16 - - " " The various accounts of this examined 17 - - " " His character 19 - - " " Valentino's narrow escape from the same fate 19 - - " " His policy 20 - - " " Results of the Pope's death at Rome 21 - - " Sep. 22. Election of Pius III. 22 - - -CHAPTER XX - - 1503. Aug. 22. Urbino resumes its allegiance 23 - - " " Guidobaldo returns from Venice 23 - - " " 28. And is welcomed enthusiastically 24 - - " He joins the other princes in a defensive - confederacy 24 - - " The fortunes of Valentino rally 25 - - " His wavering conduct 25 - - " Election of Julius II. 27 - - " Fatal to Valentino's prospects 27 - - " Nov. Guidobaldo's difficult position 28 - - " " The Pope's negotiation with Borgia 29 - - 1504. April. Who escapes to Naples 30 - - " But is sent prisoner to Spain 30 - - 1507. Mar. 10. His death 31 - - 1503. Guidobaldo's fortunate position 31 - - " Nov. 20. Summoned to Rome 32 - - " " His favour with the Pope 32 - - " " 15. The Duchess returns home from Venice 33 - - " " His interview with Valentino 33 - - " " Represented in a fresco 33 - - 1504. He is named Gonfaloniere of the Church 34 - - " And invested with the Garter of England 34 - - " June 1. Returns home, accompanied by Count - Castiglione 34 - - " Feb. Strange pastimes there 34 - - " His brief campaign 35 - - " And happy residence at Urbino 35 - - " His installation as generalissimo of the - papal forces 36 - - " Sep. His nephew, the young Prefect, invested as - his heir-apparent 37 - - " Claims of Venice upon Romagna 38 - - 1505. Guidobaldo summoned to visit the Pope 38 - - 1506. July. Returns home 39 - - " Aug. 26. Julius sets out for Romagna 39 - - " Sep. 25. His magnificent reception at Urbino 39 - - " " Tariff of provisions there 40 - - " Reaches Bologna 41 - - " His statue there, and its fate 42 - - 1507. Mar. 3. Revisits Urbino on his return to Rome 42 - - -CHAPTER XXI - - 1507. The cultivated tastes of the princes - in Romagna 43 - - " The Court of Urbino described by Count - Castiglione, in his _Cortegiano_ 44 - - " The requisites of a lady of that court 45 - - " State of female refinement and morals 46 - - " Coarseness of language and wit 47 - - " Poetical and social pastimes 49 - - " Sketch of the prominent personages there 50 - - " Count Baldassare Castiglione 51 - - " He goes to England 52 - - " His marriage, and conjugal affection 53 - - " His portraits 53 - - " His death and character 55 - - " Giuliano de' Medici 56 - - " Cesare Gonzaga 58 - - " Ottaviano Fregoso 58 - - " Cardinal Federigo Fregoso 59 - - " Bembo's letter on his death 61 - - " Cardinal Bembo 62 - - " His attachment to Lucrezia Borgia 63 - - " His promotion under Leo X. 64 - - " His lax morals 64 - - " Bernardo Dovizii, Cardinal Bibbiena 65 - - " His ingratitude and ambition 67 - - " His beauty and worldly character 68 - - " Bernardo Accolti, l'Unico Aretino 69 - - " Count Ludovico Canossa 70 - - " Alessandro Trivulzio 71 - - -CHAPTER XXII - - 1507. The Duke's declining health 72 - - " The court enlivened by female society 72 - - " Emilia Pio, surnamed Pia 75 - - " Her decorum and wit 76 - - " Her management of the social resources - of the palace 77 - - " The origin of Castiglione's _Cortegiano_ 78 - - " Guidobaldo a martyr to gout 79 - - 1506-1508. Extraordinary derangement of the seasons 79 - - 1508. April. He is carried to Fossombrone 80 - - " " 11. His great sufferings and resigned end 80 - - " " The paganism of his biographers 81 - - " " Precautions of the Duchess against - a revolution 82 - - " " And of the Pontiff 83 - - " " His body taken to Urbino 84 - - " " 13. The Prefect Francesco Maria proclaimed - Duke of Urbino 85 - - " " His visit to the Duchess 85 - - " " Funeral of Guidobaldo 85 - - " May 2. His obsequies and funeral oration 85 - - " His portraits 86 - - " His accomplishments and excellent character 86 - - " His patronage of Paolo Cortesio 87 - - " Enduring influence of his reign 88 - - " His widow 89 - - -CHAPTER XXIII - - 1443-1508. The golden age of Italian letters and arts 93 - - " " Rich in scholars but poor in genius 94 - - " " Its prosaic tendency 94 - - " " The revival of learning 95 - - " " Promoted by the multiplicity of - independent communities 97 - - " " Especially by the petty sovereigns 98 - - " " Adulatory tendency of such literature 99 - - " " A narrow patriotism generated 100 - - " " Taste for classical erudition, philology - and grammar 101 - - " " The study of Latin induced pedantry and - languid conventionality 102 - - " " The prosaic scholarism of this period 103 - - " " Tending to pagan ideas 103 - - " " The rival philosophies of Aristotle - and Plato 105 - - " " Leading to fierce quarrels 106 - - " " Superseding Christian revelation 106 - - " " And eventually shaking Catholic unity 107 - - " " Influence of the Dukes of Urbino on letters 107 - - " " Mediocrity of many authors of local fame 108 - - -CHAPTER XXIV - - 1412-1441. Letters of Count Guidantonio in favour - of various learned men 109 - - 1444-1482. Duke Federigo's love for literary converse 111 - - " " The academies 112 - - " " Fulsome dedications 112 - - 1473. Gentile de' Becci 113 - - 1480. Ludovico Odasio 114 - - Francesco Venturini 114 - - Guarniero Berni of Gubbio 115 - - 1470-1555. Polydoro di Vergilio 115 - - " " His preferments in England 115 - - " " His English history 117 - - Vespasiano Filippi 118 - - 1478-1529. Count Baldassare Castiglione 119 - - " " His _Cortegiano_ 119 - - " " Compared with Machiavelli's _Principe_ 120 - - " " His letter to Henry VIII. regarding - Duke Guidobaldo 121 - - " " His poetry 121 - - 1528. His letter to his children 122 - - 1470-1547. Cardinal Bembo 123 - - " " His pedantry and affected imitation - of Cicero 123 - - " " His history of Venice 124 - - " " His Essay on Duke Guidobaldo 124 - - " " His other works 125 - - Learned ladies 128 - - -CHAPTER XXV - - 1443-1508. Poetry under the Montefeltrian Dukes 130 - - " " Defects of the sonnet 131 - - Francesco Filelfo 131 - - 1480. Gian Maria Filelfo, his son 132 - - His Martiados in praise of Duke Federigo 132 - - His minor poems 133 - - Specimen of the dedication 134 - - His sonnet to Gentile Bellini the painter 135 - - His life of Duke Federigo 136 - - Pandonio of Naples 136 - - His Feltria on Duke Federigo's campaigns 137 - - Specimen of it 137 - - Giovanni Sanzi of Urbino, father of - Raffaele Sanzio 138 - - His metrical chronicle of Duke Federigo 138 - - Various specimens of it translated 140 - - 1428-1457. Angelo Galli from Urbino 143 - - Specimen of his poetry 143 - - Federigo Veterani, his beautiful - transcripts 144 - - His tribute in verse to Duke Federigo 145 - - Urbani of Urbino 146 - - Antonio Rustico of Florence 146 - - Naldio of Florence 146 - - Bernardo Accolti of Arezzo 146 - - His improvisation 146 - - Serafino di Aquila 147 - - Agostino Staccoli of Urbino 147 - - Early Italian comedies 147 - - La Calandra of Bibbiena 147 - - 1513. Its performance at Urbino 148 - - Description of the scenery and - accompanying interludes 148 - - Origin of the ballet 152 - - Nature of the plot in La Calandra 152 - - Low standard of morals at that time 153 - - Obscene jest books 154 - - -CHAPTER XXVI - - Mediaeval art almost exclusively religious 157 - - The introduction of types and - traditionary forms 157 - - A picture by Botticelli denounced as - heretical (note) 158 - - The choice and treatment of sacred themes 159 - - Modified by the personal character of - artists 160 - - Instances of this 161 - - Devotional feeling of early painters 161 - - Shown in the rules of their guilds at - Siena and Florence 162 - - Case of Giorgio Vasari 163 - - The gloomy character of Spanish art 163 - - The subject to be considered apart from - sectarian views 164 - - Christian art modified in the fifteenth - century 166 - - Gradual innovation of naturalism 167 - - Followed by paganism and classicism 168 - - Rise of the "new manner" 169 - - Religious prudery in Spain fatal to art 170 - - Von Rumohr's definition of Christian art 170 - - Opinions prevailing in England 171 - - Hogarth and Savonarola 172 - - Burnet and Barry 172 - - Reynolds and Raffaele 172 - - Obstacles to a due appreciation of this - subject among us 173 - - Mr. Ruskin and Lord Lindsay 174 - - Sir David Wilkie 175 - - It does not necessarily lead to popery 175 - - Nor is it a desirable "groundwork for a - new style of art" 176 - - St. Francis of Assisi, his legends - and shrine 177 - - Their influence renders Umbria the cradle - of sacred art 178 - - Opinions of Rio, Boni, and Herbert Seymour 179 - - -CHAPTER XXVII - - The Umbrian school hitherto overlooked 184 - - The cathedral of Orvieto and the sanctuary - of Assisi attract many artists 185 - - The dramatic or Dantesque character of - Florentine painting 186 - - Sentimental devotion of the Sienese school 187 - - Influence of these on Umbrian painters 187 - - -1299. Oderigi da Gubbio 188 - - Notice of him by Dante 188 - - Guido Palmerucci of Gubbio 189 - - Angioletto, a glass-painter of Gubbio 190 - - 1375-1444. Ottaviano Nelli of Gubbio and his pupils 190 - - 1434. June 30. His letter to Caterina, Countess of Urbino 192 - - Allegretto Nuzi of Fabriano 193 - - 1370-14. Gentile da Fabriano; he studies under 193 - - 1383-14. Fra Giovanni da Fiesole, the Beato Angelico 194 - - " " A friar of holy life and pencil 194 - - " " Gentile called "master of the masters" 196 - - 1370-14. His works studied by Raffaele 196 - - " " Goes to Venice 197 - - " " His taste for gaudy trappings 197 - - Benedetto Bonfigli of Perugia 199 - - 1446-1524. Pietro Perugino 199 - - Painters in Urbino 200 - - -1478. Piero della Francesca of Borgo - San Sepolcro 201 - - " " His history obscure 201 - - " " His two distinct manners 202 - - " " His knowledge of geometry 203 - - " " His claims to the introduction - of perspective 203 - - " " These examined, and those of Luca Pacioli 203 - - " " His unedited writings (note) 204 - - " " His frescoes at Arezzo and their influence - on Raffaele 206 - - " " His portrait of Sigismondo Pandolfo - Malatesta 208 - - " " His portraits of the Montefeltrian princes 209 - - -1484. Bartolomeo Coradino, the Fra Carnevale 210 - - Beautiful altar-picture near Pesaro 211 - - 1423-1502. Francesco di Giorgio of Siena 211 - - His works in painting, architecture, - and engineering 212 - - Letter of Duke Federigo on his behalf 214 - - His writings 215 - - -CHAPTER XXVIII - - -1494. Giovanni Sanzi of Urbino 216 - - Till lately unjustly depreciated 216 - - His own account of himself 217 - - His style and works 218 - - His portrait of his son, the divine - Raffaele 218 - - 1483. Apr. 6. Birth of Raffaele Sanzio of Urbino, - surnamed "the Divine" 220 - - Notice of his biographers 220 - - His appearance happily timed 221 - - First pictorial influences on his mind 222 - - 1495. He goes to the school of Perugino 223 - - 1500-1504. His earliest independent works at Citta - di Castello 225 - - " " Returns to paint at Perugia 226 - - " " Visits Siena and Florence 226 - - " " Returns to paint at Urbino 227 - - " " His second visit to Florence 227 - - " " With a recommendation from Joanna - della Rovere 228 - - 1504-1505. His works, patrons, and associates there 228 - - 1505-1507. Again painting at Perugia 230 - - 1505-1507. His intercourse with Francia 231 - - 1503-1508. And with the polished court of Urbino 231 - - " " Works commissioned of him there 232 - - " " His recently discovered fresco at Florence 234 - - -CHAPTER XXIX - - 1508. He is called to Rome by Julius II. 235 - - " And employed to paint in the Stanze 236 - - 1508-1513. His plan for the frescoes there detailed - and examined 236 - - 1513. Feb. 21. Death of Julius II. 239 - - 1513-1520. Raffaele's powers overtaxed 240 - - " " He gradually falls into "the new manner" 241 - - " " The charge against him of a vicious life - unfounded 241 - - " " Question how far he imitated others 242 - - " " Especially Michael Angelo 243 - - " " No parallel between them 244 - - " " His diminished intercourse with Urbino 246 - - 1520. Apr. 6. His sudden death and funeral 247 - - " His intended marriage and cardinal's hat 249 - - " His varied gifts 250 - - " Testimonies to his merits 250 - - " His sense of beauty 251 - - " Purity of his taste 252 - - -CHAPTER XXX - - 1470-1523. Timoteo Viti 254 - - His picture of questioned orthodoxy 256 - - 1444-1514. Donato Bramante 259 - - Confusion regarding him 259 - - His works at Urbino 261 - - Commences St. Peter's, at Rome 262 - - Builds at the Vatican 263 - - Fra Bernardo Catelani 264 - - Crocchia of Urbino 265 - - 1450-1517. Francesco Francia 265 - - 1430-1506. Andrea Mantegna 265 - - 1424-1514. Giovanni Bellini 266 - - 1446-1523. Pietro Perugino 266 - - 1386-1445. Jean van Eyck 266 - - 1474. Justus of Ghent 267 - - Italian portrait medallions 269 - - 1468. Clemente of Urbino 270 - - Medals of Duke Federigo 270 - - Medal of Duchess Elisabetta 272 - - Medal of Emilia Pia 273 - - -CHAPTER XXXI - - 1414. July 21. Birth of Sixtus IV. 277 - - " Origin of his family 277 - - 1414. Omens attending his birth 278 - - 1471. Aug. 9. His education and elevation to the papacy 278 - - Children of his father, and their - descendants 279 - - His partiality to his nephews 283 - - Extravagance of Cardinal Pietro Riario 284 - - Hospitalities of Sixtus 285 - - His improvements in Rome 286 - - Scandals regarding him 287 - - His patronage of art 287 - - And of the Vatican Library 289 - - Portrait there of himself and nephews 289 - - Painted by Melozzo da Forli 290 - - His brother Giovanni della Rovere 291 - - 1474. Oct. 12. Made vicar of Sinigaglia 291 - - " " 28. His marriage with Princess Giovanna - of Urbino 291 - - 1475. Made Lord Prefect of Rome 291 - - His beneficial reign 292 - - His favour at the papal court 293 - - 1474. The story of Zizim or Gem 293 - - " His ransom is seized by the Prefect 294 - - " Curious correspondence of the Sultan - with Alexander VI. 295 - - " Description of Gem by Mantegna the painter 297 - - 1501. Nov. 6. Death of the Prefect 299 - - His portrait 299 - - His widow 300 - - Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere 301 - - His persecutions by the Borgias 301 - - 1503. Nov. 1. His election to the Tiara 303 - - His character and policy 304 - - His patronage of art 306 - - His improvements in Rome 306 - - Parallel of him with Leo X. 307 - - -CHAPTER XXXII - - 1490. Mar. 25. Birth of Duke Francesco Maria I. 313 - - 1501. Nov. 6. He succeeds to his father's state - of Sinigaglia 313 - - " " He is carried to Urbino 313 - - 1502. Apr. 24. Is made Prefect of Rome 313 - - " His early education and tastes 314 - - " His military propensities 314 - - " June 20. His escape from Cesare Borgia 315 - - 1502. He is received at the court of France 315 - - 1504. March. His return to Italy 315 - - " June 17. Restored at Sinigaglia 316 - - " Sep. 18. Invested as heir-apparent of Urbino 316 - - 1505. Jan. Contracted in marriage to Leonora Gonzaga 316 - - 1506. His first military service 316 - - 1507. Oct. 6. Assassinates the paramour of his sister 317 - - 1508. Apr. 14. He succeeds to the dukedom of Urbino 318 - - " " His constitutional concessions 319 - - " " 25. His summons to his new subjects to - swear allegiance 319 - - " His judicious and conciliatory measures 320 - - " Origin of the League of Cambray 321 - - " Dec. 10. It is signed 322 - - " " The objects of this unnatural combination 322 - - " Oct. 4. Francesco Maria made captain-general of - the ecclesiastical forces 323 - - 1509. May. Elected a Knight of the Garter, but not - confirmed by Henry VIII. 324 - - " Dec. 24. His marriage celebrated 324 - - The Duchess Leonora's psalter 324 - - " April. He takes the field against Venice 325 - - " May 4. Takes Brisghella 325 - - " Remarkable incident in his camp 325 - - " The Pope's partiality for the Cardinal - of Pavia 326 - - " His character and intrigues against - Francesco Maria 327 - - " His treachery 327 - - " May 14. The Venetians beaten at Vaila 328 - - " June 11. Rimini capitulates, and the campaign - closes 329 - - " The Duke carries his bride to Rome 329 - - " He reconciles the Pope to Giuliano - de' Medici 329 - - " The Pope changes sides 330 - - " Further treachery of the Cardinal of Pavia 330 - - 1510. July. The Duke marches against Ferrara 331 - - " Sep. Julius II. takes the field 331 - - " His suspicions of the Cardinal 332 - - " The council of Pisa threatened 332 - - " His indomitable resolution 333 - - -CHAPTER XXXIII - - 1510. Dec. His ill-judged appearance at the siege - of Mirandola 334 - - 1511. May 21. The Duke's miscarriage before Bologna - by the Cardinal's treachery 336 - - " " The Cardinal prepossesses the Pope - against his nephew 338 - - " " 24. And falls by his hand 339 - - " Ill-timed badinage of Cardinal Bembo (note) 339 - - " The Duke retires to Urbino 340 - - " June. And the Pontiff returns to Rome 340 - - " His indignation against the Duke 340 - - " Who is arrested, and subjected to a - complicated prosecution 341 - - " Defended by Beroaldo the younger 341 - - " Dangerous illness of Julius 342 - - " He is reconciled to Francesco Maria 343 - - " Dec. 9. And absolves him 343 - - " " New league against the French 343 - - 1512. Hesitation of Francesco Maria 344 - - " Consequent disgust of Julius 344 - - " Apr. 11. The field of Ravenna 344 - - " Francesco Maria is reconciled to the Pope 345 - - " June 22. He retakes Bologna 345 - - " Aug. And reduces Reggio 345 - - " The French abandoned by their - Italian allies 346 - - " The Duke's fruitless attempt on Ferrara 347 - - " Restoration of the Medici at Florence 347 - - " The Duke's feeling towards them examined 347 - - " New projects of the Pope 348 - - " Lapse of Pesaro to the Holy See 349 - - " Oct. 23. The town reduced by Francesco Maria 349 - - 1513. Feb. 16. He is invested with that state 350 - - " " 21. Death of Julius II. 350 - - " Mar. 16. The Duke's reception at Pesaro 350 - - -CHAPTER XXXIV - - 1513. Influence of Francesco Maria in the - conclave favourable to the Medici 351 - - " Mar. 11. Election of Leo. X. 351 - - " " His singular good fortune 352 - - " " His character contrasted with that of - Julius by Sismondi 352 - - " " 19. Francesco Maria attends his coronation 353 - - " " And is confirmed in all his dignities 354 - - " Sep. His favour for Baldassare Castiglione 355 - - " Notice of the fief of Novilara 357 - - 1514. Ambitious projects and intrigues of - Leo X., involving Urbino 358 - - " Apr. 2. Birth of Prince Guidobaldo of Urbino 359 - - 1515. Jan. 1. Bembo's visit to that court 359 - - " June The Duke superseded by Leo X. in - his command 360 - - " Friendship of Giuliano de' Medici for him 361 - - " Jan. 1. Death of Louis XII., succeeded by - Francis I. 362 - - " The Pontiff's undecided policy 362 - - " Sep. 13. Battle of Marignano 364 - - 1516. Jan. Death of Ferdinand of Spain 364 - - " Mar. 17. And of Giuliano de' Medici 365 - - " " Character of Lorenzo de' Medici 365 - - " " Francesco Maria exposed to the fury of Leo 366 - - " Apr. 27. Sentence of deprivation against him 367 - - " Aug. 18. And his dignities conferred upon Lorenzo 367 - - " April Ingratitude of Bembo 367 - - Lashed by Porrino 368 - - " May. The duchy of Urbino invaded 368 - - " " 31. Francesco Maria withdraws to Lombardy - with his family 369 - - " " The duchy surrenders to Lorenzo 369 - - " Sep. S. Leo surprised 370 - - -CHAPTER XXXV - - 1516. Aug. 13. The peace of Noyon 372 - - " Attempt on his state by the Duke 372 - - 1517. Jan. 17. His manifesto 373 - - " " His address to the soldiery 376 - - " " Alarm of the Pontiff 377 - - " " Gradara is sacked 377 - - " Feb. Partial rising in his favour 377 - - " " 5. Remarkable adventure of Benedetto Giraldi 378 - - " " " Francesco Maria enters Urbino 380 - - " Measures adopted by Leo 380 - - " The Duke challenges Lorenzo to a personal - encounter, which is declined 382 - - " Mar. 25. Sack of Montebaroccio 383 - - " " Siege of Mondolfo, where Lorenzo is wounded 384 - - " Its sack, with many excesses 385 - - " Cardinal Bibbiena appointed to the command - as legate 387 - - " Disorganisation of his army 388 - - " May 6. It is routed on Montebartolo 388 - - " " " The Duke's letter to his consort detailing - the battle 389 - - -CHAPTER XXXVI - - 1517. Conspiracy against Leo 391 - - " Fate of Cardinal Adrian of Corneto 392 - - " June 20. Leo applies to Henry VIII. 392 - - " His unscrupulous measures 392 - - " May. Francesco Maria's expedition against - Perugia 393 - - " " Treason in his camp 393 - - " " His energetic proceedings 394 - - " June. Makes a foray into La Marca 395 - - " " A conversation with the Pope 396 - - " " His apprehensions 397 - - " July. The Duke's advantage over the Swiss at - Rimini, and march upon Tuscany 398 - - " Aug. Progress of negotiations 398 - - " Conditions granted to Francesco Maria 402 - - " Vile conduct of his Spaniards 402 - - " Curious votive inscription 403 - - " The Duke again withdraws from his state 403 - - " Immense cost of the campaign 404 - - " Its remote consequences upon the - Reformation 404 - - " The fortunes of Lorenzo de' Medici 405 - - 1519. Apr. 28. His death 405 - - " Partition of the duchy of Urbino 406 - - 1520. Mar. Fate of Gian Paolo Baglioni 406 - - 1519. The singular good fortune of Charles V. 407 - - " June 28. He is elected Emperor 408 - - 1521. Combinations for new wars in Italy 408 - - " Francesco Maria in the French interest 409 - - " He retires to Lonno 409 - - " Milan restored to the Sforza family 410 - - -CHAPTER XXXVII - - 1521. Dec. 1. Disgust and death of Leo 411 - - " " Opinions as to his being poisoned 411 - - " " Francesco Maria returns to his state 412 - - " " 22. And is readily welcomed 413 - - 1522. Jan. 5. He restores the Varana and Baglioni 413 - - " " And invades Tuscany 414 - - " " 15. His letter to the Priors of Siena 414 - - " Urbino invaded by the Medici 415 - - " Their reconciliation with the Duke 415 - - " His condotta by them 416 - - " Election of Adrian VI 416 - - " May 18. The Duke is reinstated in his dignities 418 - - " Feb. 18. His bond to the Sacred College 418 - - " Pretensions of Ascanio Colonna upon Urbino 418 - - " June 22. Murder of Sigismondo Varana 419 - - " The Duke refuses service with the French 420 - - " Aug. But aids the Pope against Rimini 420 - - 1523. The ladies of his court return home 421 - - " He establishes his residence at Pesaro 421 - - " Hospitality of the Duchesses 421 - - " He goes to Rome, to wait upon Adrian 422 - - " New league for the defence of Sforza 423 - - " Francesco Maria retained by Venice as - general-in-chief 423 - - " French invasion of the Milanese 423 - - " Sep. 24. Death of Adrian succeeded by Clement VII. 423 - - " Death of Prospero Colonna, and his - influence on the tactics of Francesco - Maria 423 - - " Venetian _proveditori_ and their evils 424 - - 1524. Lanoy commander-in-chief of the allies 426 - - " The Duke of Urbino hampered by the - Proveditore 426 - - " His tactics 427 - - 1523. The French admiral, Bonnivet, wounded 427 - - " Is succeeded by the Chevalier Bayard 427 - - 1524. Apr. 30. His heroic death 427 - - " The French driven out of Italy 428 - - " June 25. His honourable reception at Venice 429 - - " " 27. Made captain-general by the Signory 429 - - " July 3. Received into the company della Calza 430 - - " " 5. Returns home 431 - - " Oct. New invasion of Italy by Francis I. 431 - - 1525. Feb. 25. The battle of Pavia 431 - - -CHAPTER XXXVIII - - 1525. Altered policy of Clement 433 - - " Treason and death of the Marquis of Pescara 434 - - 1526. Feb. 14. Letter from the Duke of Urbino to Cardinal - Wolsey 434 - - " May. New League against Charles V. 435 - - " " The Duke marches to relieve Milan 435 - - " June. And obtains Lodi 435 - - " His embarrassment from the number of - leaders in the army 436 - - " Sketch of Francesco Guicciardini 436 - - " His differences with Francesco Maria 436 - - " Opinions divided as to the advance on Milan 437 - - " The Duke's policy explained 438 - - " July 6. Miscarriage and retreat of the army 439 - - " " The prejudices of Guicciardini 439 - - " " 24. Milan is surrendered by Sforza 441 - - " " The Duke's quarrels with Guicciardini 441 - - " Opinions of Sismondi 442 - - " The Duke's illness from vexation 443 - - " Sep. He carries Cremona 443 - - " The Colonna rebel against the Pope 443 - - " Sep. 20. They surprise Rome, and pillage the Borgo 444 - - " " Francesco Maria visits his Duchess 445 - - " Nov. Fruendesberg brings the lansquenets - into Lombardy 445 - - " The Duke's plans of defence considered 446 - - " Nov. 30. Battle of Borgoforte, and death of - Giovanni de' Medici _delle bande nere_ 446 - - 1527. Tortuous policy of Clement 447 - - " Mar. 15. His truce with Lanoy 448 - - " " Inertness of the allies 449 - - " " The Constable Bourbon 449 - - " " His policy in this war 449 - - " " Inactivity of the Duke 451 - - " " Bourbon's advance into Central Italy 452 - - " " He repudiates Lanoy's truce 452 - - " " His progress through Romagna 453 - - " " Vain attempt of Lanoy to interrupt him 453 - - " " Feeble and selfish views of all the allies 454 - - " " Secret motives of the Duke 454 - - " Apr. 22. Bourbon crosses into Tuscany 455 - - " The Duke quells an insurrection at - Florence 456 - - " May 1. His fortresses of S. Leo and Maiuola - restored 456 - - " Apr. 26. Bourbon hurries onward to Rome 456 - - -APPENDICES - - Cesare Borgia's personal appearance - and portraits 459 - - 1504. Feb. 20. Letter of Henry VIII. to Duke Guidobaldo - with the insignia of the Garter 462 - - " Instructions for his investiture 463 - - " Polydoro di Vergilio's account of it 466 - - 1506. July 24. The Duke sends Count Castiglione to - England as his proxy 469 - - " Oct. 20. His reception and installation 469 - - 1507. He is knighted, and returns to Urbino 470 - - Giovanni Sanzi's metrical Chronicle of - Duke Federigo 471 - - Fac-simile of the autograph 472 - - Table of the contents 472 - - Epitaph upon Giovanni della Rovere 480 - - Remission and rehabilitation of Duke - Francesco Maria I. 481 - - Letter from Cardinal Wolsey to Lorenzo - de' Medici 484 - - - - -MEMOIRS OF THE DUKES OF URBINO--II - - -NOTE.--The Editor's notes are marked with an asterisk. - - - - -BOOK THIRD - -(_continued_) - -OF GUIDOBALDO DI MONTEFELTRO, THIRD DUKE OF URBINO - - - - -MEMOIRS OF THE DUKES OF URBINO - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - - The massacre of Sinigaglia--Death of Alexander VI.--Narrow - escape of Cesare Borgia. - - -The principal object of the new combination having been attained -by the submission of Urbino, followed by that of Camerino, Borgia -hastened to anticipate the suspicions of his allies by sending -the French succours back to Milan. He however retained a body of -troops, and proposed that the chiefs should co-operate with him in -reducing Sinigaglia, which was held by the late Prefect's widow. -Accordingly, Paolo Orsini, his relation the Duke of Gravina, -Vitellozzo, and Liverotto advanced upon that town, the garrison of -which was commanded by the celebrated Andrea Doria. This remarkable -man, finding himself excluded by the state of parties at Genoa -from all prospect of preferment, had in youth adopted the career -of a condottiere. He took service with Giovanni della Rovere, -distinguishing himself greatly in the campaign of Charles VIII. at -Naples; after which he continued attached to the Prefect and his -widow, with a hundred light horse. Seeing the case of Sinigaglia -desperate, and dreading Liverotto's bitter hatred of the Rovere -race, he retired, having first sent off the Prefectess on horseback -to Florence, disguised as a friar. On the 28th of December, the -assailants took undisputed possession of the city, and sacked it. -His prey now in his toils, Valentino, who had lulled their suspicion -by keeping aloof with his troops in Romagna, flew to the spot on the -pretext of reducing the citadel, and on the 31st arrived at the town -with a handful of cavalry. - -He was met three miles outside of the gate by the chiefs, and -immediately requested their attendance in the house of one Bernardino -di Parma, to receive his congratulations and thanks on their success. -At the same time he desired quarters to be provided for their -respective followings outside of the city, in order to admit his own -army, amounting to two thousand cavalry and ten thousand infantry. -Startled at the appearance of a force so disproportioned to the -service in hand, they would gladly have demurred to this distribution -of the troops, but Cesare had contrived that there should be no -opportunity for remonstrance, and resistance would have obviously -been too late. Affecting a confidence they were far from feeling, the -leaders accepted the invitation, and were received with cordiality -and distinction. After an interchange of compliments, Borgia withdrew -upon some pretext, when there immediately entered his chosen agent -of iniquity, Don Michelotto, with several armed followers, who, -after some resistance, arrested the Duke of Gravina, Paolo Orsini, -Vitellozzo, and Liverotto, with some ten others. Before morning the -two last were strangled with a Pisan cord, or violin-string, and a -wrench-pin, by the hands of that monster, in his master's presence. -Their death, according to Machiavelli, was cowardly, especially that -of the blood-stained Liverotto; and their bodies, after being dragged -round the piazza, were exposed for three days before burial. - -That night Valentino, at the head of his Gascons, attacked six -thousand of these captains' troops, which had not dispersed on -hearing the capture of their leaders, slaughtering and plundering -them with the same barbarity they had themselves used towards the -citizens. The greater portion were cut to pieces, and those who -escaped reached their homes naked, having only straw tied round their -legs. Fabio Orsini was saved by his accidental absence from Borgia's -levee; Petrucci and Baglioni, suspicious of treachery, had avoided -their fate by previously retiring home. Against the last of these, -Borgia marched in a few days, carrying with him the remaining chiefs, -of whom he reserved the Orsini until he should hear his father's -intentions; but each night after supper he is said to have had one -of the others brought out, and put to a cruel death before him. Thus -did he, by a dexterous stroke of the most refined duplicity, turn the -tools of his ambition into victims of his vengeance, and at the same -time ridded himself of faithless adherents, whom any change in his -fortune would have again converted into overt and implacable foes.[1] - -[Footnote 1: Our chief authorities for this tragic scene are -Machiavelli's despatches and separate narrative, with the Diaries of -Burchard, Buonaccorsi, and Sanuto. Some details are taken from the -Ricordi of Padre Gratio, guardian of the Monastery delle Grazie at -Sinigaglia, a contemporary, and probably an eye-witness to many of -them. Vat. Urb. MSS. 1023, art. 17.[*A]] - -[Footnote *A: Cf. MADIAI, _Diario delle Cose di Urbino_, -in _Arch. St. per le Marche e per l'Umbria_, tom. III., p. 437. -Machiavelli, who was with Cesare at the time, describes the massacre -of Sinigaglia as "il bellissimo inganno di Sinigaglia." Cesare wrote -an account of it to Isabella d'Este. Cf. her letter to her husband -(D'ARCO, _Notizie di Isabella Estense_, in _Arch. St. Ital._, ser. i., -App., vol. I., No. II. (1845), p. 262).] - -Vermiglioli, in his life of Malatesta Baglioni, has printed, from -the archives of Perugia, a letter from Borgia to the magistrates of -that city, which, in consideration of the comparative obscurity of -that interesting volume, we shall here translate. It is, perhaps, the -only known document fully stating the case of the writer, and so may -be regarded as his defence from the charges we have brought against -him: the style and orthography are remarkably rude; and the matter -abounds in that common expedient, whereby bold and bad men seek to -evade merited accusations, by throwing them upon those they have -outraged.[2] - -[Footnote 2: Our version is from the original letter. Nearly similar -in purport, but much shorter, is a despatch written by him to the -Doge of Venice on the very night of the raid, so anxious was he to -conciliate the Signory.] - - "Magnificent and potent Lords, my special Friends and - Brothers; - - "Superfluous were it to narrate from their outset the - perfidious rebellion and atrocious treason, so known to - yourselves and to all the world, and so detestable, which - your [lords, the Baglioni,] and their accomplices have - committed against his Holiness the Pope and ourselves. - And although all were our vassals, and most of them in - our pay, received and caressed by us as sons or brothers, - and favoured with high promotion, they nevertheless, - regardless of the kindness of his Holiness and our own, - as of their individual honour, banded in schemes of - overweening ambition, and blinded by greed of tyranny, - have failed us at the moment of our utmost need, turning - his Holiness' arms and ours against him and ourselves, - for the overthrow of our sovereignty and person. They - commenced their aggressions upon us by raising our - states of Urbino, Camerino, and Montefeltro, throwing - all Romagna into confusion by force and by seditious - plots, and proceeding under the mask of reconciliation to - fresh offences, until our new levies were brought up in - irresistible force. And so atrocious was their baseness, - that neither the beneficent clemency of his [Holiness] - aforesaid, nor our renewed indulgence to them, weaned them - from the slough of their first vile designs, in which - they still persisted. And as soon as they learned the - departure of the French troops on their return towards - Lombardy, whereby they deemed us weakened and left with no - effective force, they, feigning an urgent desire to aid - in our attack upon Sinigaglia, mustered a third only of - their infantry, and concealed the remainder in the houses - about, with instructions to draw together at nightfall, - and unite with the men-at-arms, whom they had posted in - the neighbourhood, meaning, at a given moment, to throw - the infantry, through the garrison (with whom they had an - understanding), upon the new town, in the narrow space - whereof they calculated upon our being lodged with few - attendants, and so to complete their long-nourished plans - by crushing us at unawares. But we, distinctly forewarned - of all, so effectively and quickly anticipated them, that - we at once made prisoners of the Duke of Gravina, Paolo - Orsini, Vitellozzo of Castello, and Liverotto of Fermo, - and discovered, sacked, and overthrew their foot and - horse, whether concealed or not; whereupon the castellan, - seeing the plot defeated, quickly surrendered the fortress - at discretion. And this we have done, under pressure - of necessity imposed by the measures of these persons - aforesaid, and in order to make an end of the unmeasured - perfidy and villanies of them and their coadjutors, - thereby restraining their boundless ambition and insensate - cupidity, which were truly a public nuisance to the nations - of Italy. Thus your highnesses have good cause for great - rejoicing at your deliverance from these dangers. And on - your highnesses' account, I am now, by his Holiness's - commands, to march with my army, for the purpose of - rescuing you from the rapacious and sanguinary oppression - whereby you have been vexed, and to restore you to free - and salutary obedience to his Holiness and the Apostolic - See, with the maintenance of your wonted privileges. For - the which causes, We, as Gonfaloniere and Captain of his - Holiness and the aforesaid See, exhort, recommend, and - command you, on receipt hereof, to free yourselves from - all other yoke, and to send ambassadors to lay before his - Holiness your dutiful and unreserved obedience: which - failing, we are commanded to reduce you by force to that - duty,--an event that would distress us on account of the - serious injuries which must thereby result to your people, - for whom we have, from our boyhood, borne and still bear - singular favour. From Corinaldo, the 2d of January, 1503. - - "CESARE BORGIA OF FRANCE, DUKE OF ROMAGNA AND - VALENTINO, PRINCE OF ADRIA AND VENAFRA, LORD OF - PIOMBINO, Gonfaloniere and Captain-General of the Holy - Roman Church." - -News of the Sinigaglia tragedy reached the Pope late in the evening, -and he instantly communicated to Cardinal Orsini that Cesare had -taken that city, assured that an early visit of congratulation from -his Eminence would follow. The Cardinal was perhaps the richest and -most influential of his house. He chiefly had organised the league -of La Magione, but having always contrived to keep on good terms -with Alexander, he believed in the professions of regard with which -his Holiness subsequently seduced him from that policy, and thence -reposed in him a fatal confidence. Next morning he rode in state to -pay his respects at the Vatican, where his own person and those of -his principal relations were instantly seized, whilst his magnificent -palace at Monte Giordano was pillaged by orders and for the benefit -of the Pontiff. After an imprisonment of some weeks, he was cut off -by slow poison, prescribed from the same quarter, and died on the 22d -of February. Thus did the Pope set his seal of approval on his son's -atrocities, which he justified by a poor and pointless jest, avowing -that as the confederates of La Magione, after stipulating that they -should not be required to re-enter the service of Valentino unless -singly, had thought fit to place themselves within his power _en -masse_, they merited their fate as forsworn. - -[Illustration: FACSIMILE OF SIGNATURES - -[1. 1480] - -[2. 1494] - -[3. 1501] - -[4. 1504] - -[5. 1501] - -[6. 1510] - -[7. 1522] - -[8. 1540] - -[9. 1517]] - -The massacre of Sinigaglia has been condemned by every writer except -Machiavelli, and posterity has in severe retribution suspected him -of abetting it. This charge possesses a twofold interest, as -inculpating the character of the historian, and as affecting the -morality of the age.[*3] In the latter view alone does it fall under -our consideration: yet however horrible these wholesale murders, they -are more remarkable in Italian history as the crowning crime of an -ambitious career, and as widely influencing the political aspect of -Romagna and La Marca, than from their relative enormity. The fates -of the young Astorre Manfredi of Faenza, of Fogliano of Fermo, of -the Lord of Camerino and his three sons, have all been mentioned in -these pages as occurring within a year or two of this event. It would -be easy to swell the catalogue of slaughter; and we find Baglioni -and Vitellozzo both classed with Cesare himself in the category -of murder, by a chronicler of Alexander VI., who also quotes from -the mouth of Giovanni Bentivoglio, at the diet of La Magione, this -bravado, "I shall assassinate Duke Valentino should I be so lucky as -to have opportunity."[4] The spirit of the age is further illustrated -by its unnumbered poisonings: and the fact that Machiavelli should -neither have used his influence with Valentino to avert the massacre -of the confederates, nor his pen to brand the treachery of that foul -deed, is but another link in the evidence from which we may deduce -the total extinction of moral feeling, which, anticipating the worst -doctrines of Loyola, carried them out with a selfishness, falsehood, -and cruelty unparalleled in the annals of human civilisation.[*5] - -[Footnote *3: It is unlikely that Machiavelli abetted the massacre, -though he certainly approved it dispassionately enough. By it the -Papacy was rid at last of the houses of Colonna and Orsini. Cesare -met Machiavelli after the affair "with the best cheer in the world," -reminding him that he had given him a hint of his intentions, but -adding, "I did not tell you all." He urged on Machiavelli his -desire for a firm alliance with Florence. Cf. MACHIAVELLI, -_Legazione al Valentino_, Lett. 86, and the _Modo tenuto dal Duca -Valentino nel ammazzare Vitellozzo_. See also CREIGHTON, -_op. cit._, vol V., p. 40.] - -[Footnote 4: VERMIGLIOLI: _Vita di Malatesta Baglioni_.] - -[Footnote *5: The schemes of Cesare were in his age no more -unscrupulously carried out than Bismarck's in his. "It is well," said -Cesare, "to beguile those who have shown themselves to be masters of -treachery."] - -[Illustration: _Alinari_ - -IL CASTELLO DI SINIGAGLIA] - -Gianpaolo Baglioni having fled to Siena, Valentino followed him in -that direction, after taking possession of Perugia, and learning -that Citta di Castello, abandoned by the adherents of the Vitelli, -had been plundered by his own partizans. On the 18th of January, -hearing at Citta della Pieve of the blow struck by his father against -the Orsini, and that Fabio, who escaped the snare at Sinigaglia, -was ravaging the Campagna, he handed over Paolo and the Duke of -Gravina to the tender mercies of Michelotto, whose noose quickly -encircled their necks. Invading the Sienese, he carried fire and -sword by Chiusi as far as Pienza and San Quirico, massacring even -the aged and infirm with horrible tortures. His real object, besides -revenging himself upon Petrucci and Baglioni, was to add Siena to his -territory, but his position being then a delicate one with France, he -accepted the proposal of that republic to purchase safety, by exiling -Petrucci their seigneur, and dismissing Baglioni their guest.[*6] - -[Footnote *6: Cf. LISINI, _Cesare Borgia e la repubblica di -Siena_, in the _Boll. Senese di Stor. Pat._, ann. VII. (fasc. I.), -pp. 114, 115, and 144 _et seq._ for all the documents. And for a -short but excellent account in English of the whole Sienese affair, -LANGTON DOUGLAS, _A History of Siena_ (Murray, 1902), p. 206 -_et seq._] - -This series of rapid successes is ascribed by Machiavelli to the -policy of Valentino in ridding himself of his French auxiliaries and -his mercenary confederates, and so being enabled, during the brief -remainder of his career, to give his talents and energy full scope in -the conduct of an army entirely devoted to his views. His conquests -had now extended along the eastern fall of the Apennines, from -Imola to Camerino, and included the upper vale of the Tiber and the -principality of Piombino. He had but to add to them Siena, and the -best part of Central Italy from sea to sea would be his own. The eyes -of Louis, at length opened to a danger which he had so long fostered, -were not blinded by Cesare's affected moderation in claiming his -recent acquisitions rather for the Church than for himself, and that -monarch hastened to caution him from further hostilities against -Tuscany. The successes of Fabio Orsini around Rome at the same time -called for his presence, so he changed his route to make a foray -upon the holdings of that family about the Lake of Bracciano, with -whom the Colonna and Savelli had united against their common enemies -the Borgia. This opportunity was greedily seized by the Pontiff to -carry out his long cherished policy of breaking the power of the -great barons, and the castles of the Orsini having one after another -been reduced, their influence ceased for the future to be formidable -either to their sovereign or their neighbours. - - * * * * * - -But it is time we should return to Urbino, where we left the -citizens bewailing the departure of their Duke. As soon as he was -gone, Antonio di S. Savino took possession of the place in name of -Valentino, and issued a proclamation enjoining the townsfolk to -disarm, the peasantry to return home, and all to surrender whatever -they had stolen the day before from the palace. In the afternoon, -after a conciliatory harangue to the people, he took his lodging -in the palace. Next morning, after mass, the Bishop published a -general amnesty, and oaths of allegiance to the new sovereign were -administered. Towards evening the bells were rung, and a bonfire was -lit in the piazza; but these were heartless and forced rejoicings, -and no bribes could induce even the children to raise the cry of -"Valenza." Nor was this sadness without cause, for the soldiery of -Orsini and Vitellozzo, who still quartered in the town, treated all -with such outrage, that many of the inhabitants prayed for death -to close their sufferings, envying those who were summoned from -such scenes of misery. But when the troops were withdrawn, the mild -character and popular manners of Antonio the governor, skilfully -seconding the conciliatory policy which Borgia had resolved upon, -gave matters another aspect, and occasioned surprise to those who -knew the cruel perfidy of their new master. Various notorious abuses -were put down under severe penalties, especially the acceptance -of presents by judges, and the following up of private vengeance. -The deputy governor, Giovanni da Forli, was however a man of quite -opposite temperament, whose harshness soon counteracted these gentler -influences, and occasioned general disgust. But the people heard -with satisfaction the tragedy of Sinigaglia; for to the perfidy -of the chiefs and the brutality of their army, the loss of their -independence and the whole of their late misfortunes were unanimously -ascribed; and a permission to ravage the territory of the Vitelli, -now publicly proclaimed throughout the duchy, was by many greedily -seized. - -Borgia, having secured fourteen distinguished inhabitants of Urbino -as hostages, ordered that the fortresses left by agreement in -the hands of Guidobaldo should be attempted: that of Maiuolo was -accordingly surprised about the beginning of May, and easily reduced. -S. Leo being better provided, as well as considered impregnable, -its siege was more methodically undertaken, and levies were ordered -to reinforce the assailants. The amount of public sympathy with the -cause may be estimated from Baldi's assertion that, in the city of -Urbino, the utmost difficulty was experienced in raising eight foot -soldiers with one month's pay. Eight hundred Gascons in the French -service were obtained from De la Tremouille; but these, having -turned the siege into a sort of blockade, were dispersed among the -neighbouring villages, where, on the 5th of June, their revels -were suddenly interrupted by unknown assailants, who disappeared -as mysteriously as they had issued from the mountain defiles, -leaving many of the besiegers slain or wounded. The surrounding -peasantry, catching the enthusiasm, rushed to arms, and, but for -extraordinary exertions, the whole duchy would have once more -been out for their legitimate lord. News of this movement having -reached the Duke early in July, he obtained from Florence free -passage through her territory, and from the Venetians a promise of -passive support, and thereupon put himself into communication with -his principal adherents, by means of letters carried by persons of -low condition, many of which were unfortunately intercepted by the -lieutenant-governor of Urbino. His people were thus kept in a fever -of expectation; but, finally, this plan of an invasion was abandoned, -whereupon he repaired to Mantua, to his brother-in-law the Marquis, -who had been taken into the French service under De la Tremouille, -and engaged him to represent to Louis the hardships of his case, and -the danger of Borgia's excessive ambition. - -Disgusted with their ignominious overthrow at S. Leo, the Gascons -assumed the habitual licence of such mercenaries, by soon taking -their departure from - - "The tentless rest beneath the humid sky, - The stubborn wall that mocks the leaguer's art, - And palls the patience of his baffled heart." - -The siege was nevertheless maintained by the commandant of Romagna; -but the place was ably and spiritedly defended by Ottaviano Fregoso, -who will soon attract our notice in other scenes. Marini has recorded -another act of romantic daring by the same Brizio who, in the -preceding year, had surprised the place. Fregoso's tiny garrison -being greatly exhausted by the long blockade, he, with one Marzio, -made his way, during a violent storm of rain, over the rocks, and -through the beleaguering force, and reached a castle near Mantua -where Guidobaldo then was. In vain these emissaries besought him for -a reinforcement of two hundred men; for, thinking it would only waste -their gallantry by prolonging a hopeless struggle, he thankfully -declined their proposal. At length their urgency obtained twenty-five -men who happened to be at hand, and with these they returned to -the leaguer. Marzio, boldly presenting himself to the commandant, -volunteered to join the besiegers with his little party, which being -accepted, he advanced them under the walls, whence, having been -recognised by the garrison, they made a rush to the upper gate, -and were received into the fortress ere the trick was discovered. -By this timely succour, S. Leo was enabled to hold out until the -restoration of its rightful sovereign; and its brave defenders did -not even falter at the threat of summary vengeance upon their wives -and families, who had been brought to the palace of Urbino to answer -for their obstinacy. - - * * * * * - -Christendom was now to be appalled by a fearful catastrophe, which -fitly closed the career of the Borgias, diverting their wonted -weapons to their own destruction, for-- - - "'Tis sure a law of retribution just - That turns the plotters' arts against themselves."[7] - -[Footnote 7: - - "Neque enim lex aequior ulla - Quam necis artifices arte perire sua." OVID. _Ar. Amat._ i. 655.] - -Alexander and his son perceiving that they could no longer turn to -good account the co-operation of Louis for their grasping schemes, -began to look round for new combinations: having squeezed the orange -they were ready to throw aside the rind. But to such projects their -exhausted treasury offered serious obstacles. To supply it they -had recourse, on an extended scale, to an expedient which they had -invented, and already occasionally employed,--that of poisoning the -richest cardinals, seizing on their treasures, and selling their -vacant hats to the highest bidders. Among the most recent and wealthy -of the sacred college was Adrian of Corneto, and he was therefore -selected as next victim. On the 12th of August, the Pope and Cesare -invited him to sup in the Belvidere casino of the Vatican, and the -latter sent forward a supply of poisoned wine, in charge of his -butler, with strict injunctions not to serve it until specially -desired by himself. Several other cardinals were to partake of the -banquet, and, probably, were intended to share the drugged potion. -Alexander had been assured by an astrologer that, so long as he had -about him the sacramental wafer, he should not die; and, accordingly, -he constantly carried it in a little golden box; but, having on that -evening forgotten it upon his toilet, he sent Monsignor Caraffa, -afterwards Paul IV., to fetch it. Meanwhile, overcome by the dog-day -heat, he called for wine. The butler was gone to fetch a salver of -peaches, which had been presented to his Holiness, and his deputy, -having received no instructions as to the medicated bottles, offered -a draught from them to the Pope. He greedily swallowed it, and his -example was more moderately followed by Cesare; thus, - - "Even-handed justice - Commends the ingredients of the poisoned chalice - To their own lips." - -Scarcely had they taken their seats at the table, when the two -victims successively fell down insensible, from the virulence of the -poison, and were carried to bed. The Pontiff rallied so far as to -recover consciousness, and to linger for about a week, but at length -sank under the shock and the fever which supervened, his age being -seventy-one, and his constitution enervated by long debauchery. The -last sacraments were duly administered, and it was remarked that, -during his illness, he never alluded to his children Cesare and -Lucrezia, through life the objects of an overweening, if not criminal -fondness, in whose behalf most of his outrages upon the peace and the -rights of mankind had been committed. His death occurred on the 18th -of August.[*8] - -[Footnote *8: There is no authentic basis for this story. Rome was -in a pestilential condition in August, and the Pope, Cesare, and -the Cardinal Hadrian were all stricken with fever, which a supper -in the open air was surely not unlikely to produce. Alexander was -so detested that the strangeness of his death suggested poison at -once to his enemies. Cf. CREIGHTON, _op. cit._, vol. V., p. -49. An excellent essay on _The Poisonings attributed to the Borgia_ -will be found in CREIGHTON, _op. cit._, vol. V., p. 301 _et -seq._] - -Such is the account of this awful retribution given by Tommasi, -from which most other narratives but slightly deviate as to dates -or immaterial details. Another version, however, occurs in Sanuto's -Diaries, which, being contemporary, and probably supplied from the -diplomatic correspondence of the Signory, merits notice, and has -not been hitherto published. The Cardinal of Corneto, who figures -prominently in this narrative, was made collector for Peter's pence -in England, and Bishop of Hereford, from whence he was translated -to Bath and Wells. We shall find him compromised in Petrucci's -conspiracy against Leo X., but the following charge of pope-poisoning -is new. - -"The Lord Adrian Castillense of Corneto, Cardinal Datary, having -been desired by the Pope to receive him and Duke Valentino at supper -in his vineyard, his Holiness supplying the eatables, this Cardinal -presumed the invitation to be planned for his death by poison, so -that the Duke might obtain his money and benefices, which were -considerable. In order to save himself there seemed but one course, -so, watching his opportunity, he summoned the Pontiff's steward, -whom he knew intimately, and on his arrival received him alone in -a private chamber, where 10,000 ducats were laid out: these he -desired him to accept for love of him, offering him also more of his -property, which he declared he could continue to enjoy only through -his assistance, and adding, 'You certainly are aware of the Pope's -disposition, and I know that he and the Duke have designed my death -by poison through you; wherefore I pray you have pity on me and spare -my life.' The steward, moved with compassion on hearing this, at -length avowed the plan concerted for administering the poison; that, -after the supper, he was to serve three boxes of confections, one -for the Pope, another for the Duke, and a third for the Cardinal, -the last being poisoned; so they arranged that the service of the -table should be contrived in such a way that the Pontiff might eat -of the Cardinal's poisoned box, and die. On the appointed day, the -Pope having arrived at the vineyard with the Duke, the Cardinal -threw himself at his Holiness' feet and kissed them, saying he had -a boon to request, and would not rise until it were granted. The -Pope assuring him of his consent, he continued, 'Holy Father! on the -lord's coming to his servant's house, it is not meet that the servant -should sit with his lord; and the just and proper favour I ask is -permission for the servant to wait at the table of your Holiness.' -The supper being thus served, and the moment arrived for giving the -confections, the box having been poisoned by the steward as directed -by the Pope, the Cardinal placed it before his Holiness, who, relying -on his steward, and convinced of the Cardinal's sincerity by his -service, ate joyfully of this box, as did the Cardinal of the other, -which the Pontiff believed the poisoned one. Thereafter, at the hour -when from its nature the poison took effect, his Holiness began to -feel it, and thus he died: the Cardinal being still alarmed, took -medicine and an emetic, and was easily cured." - -The death of Alexander by poison is generally credited, although -Raynaldus and Muratori, willing to mitigate so heinous a scandal, -incline to the few and obscure authorities who attribute it to -tertian fever. It was natural that the truth should be glossed over, -especially in despatches addressed to the court of his daughter -Lucrezia, to which the latter annalist probably had access. But -though the earliest intelligence of the event forwarded by the -Venetian envoy alludes to the Pope's seizure as fever, his subsequent -letters, quoted by Sanuto, thus loathsomely confirm the current -suspicion of poison having been administered. "On this day [19th] I -saw the Pontiff's corpse, whose apparel was not worth two ducats. -He was swollen beyond the size of one of our large wine-skins. Never -since the Christian era was a more horrible and terrible sight -witnessed. The blood flowed from ears, mouth, and nose faster than -it could be wiped away; his lips were larger than a man's fist, and -in his open mouth the blood boiled as in a caldron on the fire, and -kept incessantly flowing as from a spout; all which I report from -observation."[9] - -[Footnote 9: This passage appears conclusive as to the fact of poison -having been taken by the Pontiff; and it will be observed that -Sanuto's story of the confection-boxes in no way accounts for the -illness of Valentino, which is equally passed over in another totally -different statement of this affair, given in the Appendix to Ranke's -_History of the Popes_, section i. No. 4,--omissions to be kept -in view in testing the probability of these conflicting accounts. -Roscoe seems to have subsequently abandoned the doubts thrown upon -the poisoning in his first edition, although ever prone to extenuate -vices of the Borgia: witness his elaborate defence of Lucrezia, or -his views as to the Duke of Gandia's murder and the massacre of -Sinigaglia. Voltaire treats the question like a habitual doubter, -with the ingenuity of a critic rather than the matured judgment of a -historian. He is answered, with perhaps unnecessary detail, by Masse, -to whom Sanuto was unknown.] - -The character of Alexander VI. as a man and as a sovereign admits of -no question, and is thus forcibly summed up by Sismondi. "He was the -most notoriously immoral man in Christendom; one whose debauchery -no shame restrained, whose treaties no good faith sanctioned, whose -policy was never guarded by justice, to whose vengeance pity was -unknown."[*10] As a pontiff he must be tried by a different test, -and those ecclesiastical writers, who attempt not to defend his -morals or example, assert the orthodoxy of his faith and doctrine, -and commend the wisdom of his provisions for maintenance of that -religion which regarded him as its head. He was the first to -establish the censorship of books,[*11] an important bulwark of the -Roman Church; and among the orders which he instituted or protected -was that of S. Francesco di Paolo. Nor can it be doubted that his -ambitious nepotism eventually aggrandised the temporal possessions -of the papacy, by quelling the mutinous barons of the Campagna, and -by so crushing the more distant seigneurs as to render their states -a speedy and easy prey to Julius II. On the other hand, the openly -simoniacal practices which prevailed during his reign, the strong -measures adopted to raise money for his private ends by a lavish -scale of indulgences, and, generally, the unscrupulous employment of -the power of the keys and the treasures of the Church for unworthy -purposes, all tended to alienate men's minds, and to stir those -doubts which the different, but not less injudicious, policy of his -immediate successors ripened into schism. - -[Footnote *10: This is probably an exaggeration. Alexander VI. was -without reticence in his sins, and so has not escaped whipping. I -append a brief list of authorities for the Borgia:-- - - CERRI, _Borgia ossia Alessandro VI._ (1858). - ANTONETTI, _Lucrezia Borgia in Ferrara_ (1867). - SCHUBERT-SOLDERN, _Die Borgias und ihre Zeit_ (Dresden, 1902). - CITADELLA, _Saggio di Albero Genealogico della Famiglia Borgia_ (1872). - GREGOROVIUS, _Lucrezia Borgia_ (1874). - ---- _Geschichte der Stadt Rom._, tom. VII. (1880). - ALVISI, _Cesare Borgia_ (Imola, 1878). - NEMEC, _Papst Alexander VI. eine Rechtfertigung_ (1879). - LEONETTI, _Papa Alessandro VI._ (1880). - D'EPINOIS, in _Revue des Questions Historiques_ (April, 1881). - VEHON, _Les Borgia_ (1882). - MARICOURT, _Le Proces des Borgia_ (1883). - YRIARTE, _Cesar Borgia_ (1887). - ---- _Autour des Borgias_ (1891).] - -[Footnote *11: I am not quite clear what this means. The Inquisition -was introduced into Italy in 1542, and the _Index Librorum -Prohibitorum_ was established. But the congregation of the Index -was not established till the Council of Trent. Magical books were -prohibited as early as the Council of Nice, 325.] - -Favoured by youth, constitution, and energy of mind, Cesare Borgia -wrestled successfully with the deadly ingredients which he had -inadvertently swallowed. He is said to have been saved by being -frequently placed in the carcass of a newly-killed bullock or mule, -and, whether in consequence of this treatment, or of the inflammatory -nature of the potion, to have lost the whole skin of his body. He had -flattered himself that, foreseeing every possible contingency which -his father's death could develop, he had so planned his measures -as to secure, in any event, his own safety, and the maintenance of -his authority. But, never having anticipated being disabled from -action at that very juncture, his well-laid schemes fell to the -ground, a signal illustration of the proverb, "Man proposes, God -disposes." By means of Don Michelotto, he was, however, able to draw -round the Vatican a body of twelve thousand devoted troops, and that -unscrupulous agent executed his instructions by seizing about 500,000 -ducats in money, jewels, and valuables, from the Pope's apartment, -before his death was published. - -The Diaries of Sanuto give a lively description of the immediate -effects of Alexander's death on Lower Italy,--the exultations of the -people, the prompt movements of the Campagna barons, the hesitation -of Valentino, the intrigues of the cardinals. As soon as the good -news transpired, Rome rose in arms against the Spaniards; and the -Colonna and the Orsini, entering at the head of their troops, -willingly aided in spoiling and slaughtering these countrymen of -the Borgia, who "could nowhere find holes to hide in." Even their -cardinals narrowly escaped a general massacre; and on the 8th of -September, a proclamation by the College cleared the city of these -foreigners on pain of the gibbet. Duke Valentino, although prostrated -in strength, and "seeming as if burnt from the middle downwards," -was not without formidable resources. His hope was, that in the -distracted state of Rome, the cardinals would provide for their -personal safety by holding the conclave in St. Angelo, where the -election would be in his own hands. This calculation was, however, -defeated by their assembling at the Minerva convent, guarded by the -barons of Bracciano and Palestrina, with the bravest of the citizens, -and protected by barricades which withstood an assault by the -redoubted Michelotto. Still his troops were staunch, the Vatican and -St. Angelo were his, and he had secured the treasure of the Holy See. -But his nerve gave way, and after turning the castle guns against the -Orsini palace on Monte Giordano, he fled in a litter to the French -camp without the gates, on the 1st of September, and thence made his -way to the stronghold of Nepi. This vacillation brought its fitting -recompense, and lost him the advantages of his position. Hesitating -betwixt the Colonna and Orsini factions, wavering between Spanish and -French interests, his friends dropped off, his forces melted away, -and he lost the favourable moment for swaying the papal election. - -The rival parties in the conclave, having had no time to mature their -plans, in consequence of the late Pontiff's sudden decease, trusted -to strengthen their respective interests by delay, and so were -unanimous in choosing, on the 22nd of September, the most feeble of -their body, the respected Piccolomini, who survived his exaltation -as Pius III. but twenty-six days. The state of matters at Naples -added to the general embarrassment. The ceaseless struggles for that -crown had of late taken a new turn, the contest being now between -Louis of France and Ferdinand of Spain. The Borgia, long adherents -of the former, had recently inclined to the Spanish side; but their -influence was now irretrievably gone. - - *NOTE.--The following is a list of the chief - conquests of Cesare:-- - - City. Family. Date. Campaign. - - Imola Riarii Nov. 27, 1499 First. - Forli Riarii Jan. 12, 1500 First. - Rimini Malatesta Oct. 10, 1500 Second. - Pesaro Sforza Oct. 21, 1500 Second. - Faenza Manfredi April 25, 1501 Second. - Piombino Appiani Sept. 3, 1501 Second. - Urbino Montefeltri June 21, 1502 Third. - Camerino Varani July 29, 1502 Third. - Sinigaglia Roveri Dec. 28, 1502 Third. - Citta di Castello Vitelli Jan. 2, 1503 Third. - Perugia Baglioni Jan. 6, 1503 Third. - Siena Petrucci Jan. (end), 1503 Third. - - Cf. BURD, ed. _Il Principe_ (Oxford, 1891), p. - 218, note 15. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - - Duke Guidobaldo restored--The election of Julius II.--The - fall of Cesare Borgia--The Duke's fortunate position--Is - made Knight of the Garter--The Pope visits Urbino. - - -Whilst Valentino and his partizans thus had their hands full at Rome, -Romagna and his recent conquests threw off his rule. His officers had -concealed the first news of the tragedy at the Vatican, but, on the -22nd of August, authentic intelligence of the death of Alexander and -the illness of his son having reached Urbino, through some emissaries -of Guidobaldo who announced that the moment for action had arrived, -the people ran to arms. The governor fled to Cesena; his lieutenant -was slain in the tumult; the siege of S. Leo was raised; and in one -day the entire duchy, except one unimportant castle, returned to its -lawful sovereign.[*12] - -[Footnote *12: During the Duke's absence an interesting -correspondence passed between Isabella d'Este and Cardinal Ippolito -d'Este in Rome concerning a Venus and a Cupid of the Duke's. The -Venus was a torso and antique, but the Cupid was the work of -Michelangelo. Cf. GAYE, _Carteggio d'Artisti_, vol. II., -p. 53; ALVISI, _Cesare Borgia_, p. 537; LUZIO, in _Arch. St. Lombardo_ -(1886), and JULIA CARTWRIGHT, _Isabella d'Este_ (Murray, 1903), vol. I., -p. 230 _et seq._] - -On hearing that the Pope and Cesare were both ill, the Duke of Urbino -hastily quitted Venice, his honourable and secure retreat, leaving -behind, in the words of Bembo, "a high reputation for superhuman -genius, for admirable acquirements, for singular discretion." As -a parting favour, that republic advanced him 3000 or 4000 ducats, -towards the expenses of his restoration. He wrote desiring his -nephew Fregoso to send over a detachment from S. Leo, to maintain -order in his capital, and himself following upon the steps of his -messenger, reached that fortress on the 27th of August. Next day he -proceeded to Urbino, where, Castiglione tells us, "he was met by -swarms of children bearing olive-boughs, and hailing his auspicious -arrival; by aged sires tottering under their years, and weeping for -joy; by men and women; by mothers with their babes; by crowds of -every age and sex; nay, the very stones seemed to exult and leap." -Women of all ranks flocked in from the adjacent townships, with -tambourines played before them, to see their sovereign, and touch his -hand; whilst popular fury spent itself upon the usurper's armorial -ensigns, which had been painted in fresco over the city gates a few -months before by Timoteo Vite, at the rate of from one to four ducats -each.[*13] - -[Footnote *13: Cf. MADIAI, _Diario delle Cose di Urbino_, in -_Arch. St. per le Marche e per l'Umbria_, vol. III., p. 444.] - -The example of Urbino was quickly followed by Sinigaglia, Pesaro, -and the other principalities; and by October, a confederacy for -their common maintenance and defence, under oaths and a mutual bond -of 10,000 ducats, was organised by these three states, along with -Camerino, Perugia, Piombino, Citta di Castello, and Rimini, in all -which the exiled seigneurs had resumed their ascendancy. - -It was a condition of this league, that no step or engagement should -be taken by any of the parties without the sanction of Guidobaldo, -who a month before had strengthened his position by accepting service -from the Venetians. The Signory engaged to protect him during life in -his state, against all attacks, and to pay him annually 20,000 scudi, -he maintaining for them a hundred men-at-arms, and a hundred and -fifty light cavalry, besides placing at their disposal, for instant -service, two thousand foot. These were forthwith sent to ravage the -neighbourhood of Cesena, which remained faithful to Valentino, and -thereafter, co-operating with other forces of the new league under -Ottaviano Fregoso, they attacked in succession such citadels and -castles as were held for the usurper. - -The star of Borgia seemed once more in the ascendant. Early -in October Cesare, now able to bestride a mule, returned to -Rome, attended by a hundred and fifty men-at-arms and a hundred -halberdiers, where he patched up a reconciliation with the Orsini -faction, then dominant. From motives which it would now be difficult -to trace, the new Pontiff received him with favour, and named -him captain-general of the Church. But in this crisis of his -destiny he displayed no elevation of character. Disconcerted by -the embarrassment of his position, perhaps by the admonitions of -conscience, uncertain where to repose confidence or look for support, -he quickly repented having trusted himself in the city, and longed -to escape from its incensed populace and exasperated factions to -the shelter of his strongholds in Romagna. Humbling himself before -Gian-Giordano Orsini, the enemy of his race, he obtained a promise of -his escort across the Campagna; but perceiving, ere he had cleared -the gate, that he was in the hands of men by whom old grudges were -not forgotten, he fled in panic to the Vatican. There he crouched -beneath the doubtful favour of Pius, and the waning influence of the -Spanish cardinals, who vainly sought to protect his property from -pillage, and to expedite his escape in disguise, until the Holy See -was again vacated by its short-lived occupant.[14] - -[Footnote 14: In the communal archives of Perugia, there is a brief -addressed to the authorities of that town by Pius III., dated 17th of -October, 1503, "before his coronation," but in fact the day preceding -his death, which must have been obtained by the influence of Cesare, -and which speaks a language very different from what his Holiness -would probably have adopted had his life been spared. Its object -was to prohibit certain "conventicles" which Gianpaolo Baglioni -was reported to be holding in Perugia, for the purpose of plotting -against the person of the Duke of Valenza and Romagna, and to desire -that he be charged to avoid all courses tending to the prejudice of -Borgia.] - -Thus was that make-shift policy defeated by which the late conclave -had sought time for strengthening their interests and maturing their -intrigues: a new election was at hand ere its elements had subsided -from their recent turmoil. The Orsini were paramount in the city, -the Spaniards in the Sacred College. A struggle ensued whether the -former should obtain an order for Valentino's departure, or should -themselves withdraw from Rome before the conclave was closed. Victory -declared for the Iberian cardinals, by aid of Ascanio Sforza, who -sought to conciliate their suffrages for himself. Once again the -bantling of fortune had the game in his hand, again to play it -away. Holding, as was supposed, at his absolute disposal the votes -of the Borgian cardinals, he was courted by all who aspired to the -tiara; and in hopes of retrieving his affairs by the election of a -friendly pope, he took measures for throwing his whole influence -into the scale of Amboise, Cardinal of Rouen, as organ of the French -party. But that strong will and indomitable resolution which had -triumphantly carried him through many crimes were now wanting. From -day to day his plans faltered and his policy wavered; finally his -efforts failed. Men were wearied of the feeble counsels, the selfish -epicureanism, the public scandals of recent pontiffs. To rescue -the Church from utter degradation, a very different category of -qualifications was required, and even the electors felt that they -must find a pope in all respects the reverse of Alexander. - -There was no member of the Sacred College whom Valentino had such -reason to fear and hate, none of whose domineering ambition the -Consistory stood in such awe, as Giulio della Rovere. Yet did his -master-spirit overcome all opposition. On the day preceding the -conclave he effected a reconciliation with the Spaniards, and his -ancient rival Ascanio Sforza sought his friendship. As he rode to -enter upon its duties, the cortege of attendant prelates equalled -that which usually swelled the train of an elected pope. Before -the door was closed, bets of eighty-two to a hundred were made on -his success, one hundred to six being offered against any other -candidate. It was, therefore, scarcely matter of surprise that within -an hour or two thereafter Julius II. was chosen by acclamation, -without a scrutiny.[15] - -[Footnote 15: Our information is in many respects deficient regarding -the numerous and complicated events occurring at Rome between the -poisoning of Alexander and the final departure of his son Cesare, -and authorities are frequently irreconcileable. We are indebted to -Sanuto's Diary for many unedited particulars, especially of the papal -elections, but the most distinct account of these transactions, and -on the whole trustworthy, which we have met with, is given by Masse.] - -At the last moment, Borgia's adherents, finding opposition vain, -thought it best to lay the new occupant of St. Peter's chair under -the obligation of their suffrages, a policy which Machiavelli had -justly condemned as the greatest blunder ever committed by their -leader. Some historians allege that their support was gained by an -offer of Julius to maintain him in his dignities and investitures, -betrothing his infant daughter to his own nephew the young Lord -Prefect. Unlikely as this may seem, there is much apparent -inconsistency in the Pontiff's treatment of him, which, if our -authorities are to be trusted, showed nothing of that choleric -temperament and energetic firmness which habitually characterised -him. Within two days of his election, when speaking of Valentino -to the Venetian envoy, he said, "We shall let him get off with all -he has robbed from the Church in his evil hour, but would that -the towns of Romagna were taken from him." Yet a change appears -to have supervened, induced perhaps by Cesare's representations, -which had formerly been successful with Pius III., that, under his -sway, the influence of the Church in that province of her patrimony -would be far better maintained than by handing it again to the old -dynasties, whom he had with difficulty eradicated, and who had ever -been turbulent vassals of the Apostolic Chamber. The now manifest -intention of the Venetians to obtain a footing in that quarter, upon -various pretexts founded on claims of the Manfredi and others of the -dispossessed lords, gave cogency to this reasoning in the eyes of -Julius, whose paramount policy of at all hazards aggrandising the -keys, rendered Valentino's sovereignty preferable to such extension -of their dominion, and may have somewhat extenuated the Borgian -policy in his eyes. He therefore brought the usurper from St. Angelo -to lodge in the Vatican, and entered with seeming cordiality into -his views. But the lapse of a few days found his Holiness in another -mood, declaring that his guest should not hold a single battlement -throughout Italy, but might be thankful if spared his life and the -treasures he had plundered, most of which were however already -dissipated. From that moment the prestige of his position was at an -end, and he remained at the palace "in small repute." - -The crisis soon became urgent, for the Venetian troops were pouring -upon Romagna, whilst the few fortresses that still owned Borgia as -their master were gradually falling to the confederate chiefs, led -by Guidobaldo. On the 9th of November, letters, demanding these -captured castles in the name of the Signory, found the latter ill -of gout; but in reply he expressed surprise at the summons, seeing -that he had wrested them from the usurper, and hoped to hold them -for the pope elect, and in security for the valuables of which he -had been pillaged. In consideration, perhaps, of his being then -actually in pay of the Republic, he agreed to deliver up Verucchio -and Cesenatico, whereupon the messenger reported him to the Doge as -"a good Christian, but in want of some one to counsel him." - -In this exigency, Cesare proposed to surrender to the Pope the -citadels of Cesena, Bertinoro, Forli, and Forlimpopoli, as a means -of immediately arresting the progress of their assailants, and of -cutting short the schemes of Venice, offering to serve the Church -during the rest of his life in any capacity that was thought -expedient. This offer Julius declined, but gave him liberty to -repair to the scene of action, and act for the best with what -troops he could raise. He accordingly went to Ostia on the 19th -of November, meaning to take shipping for Upper Italy; but on the -21st the Pontiff, alarmed at the progress of the Venetians, and -influenced by Guidobaldo, who, arriving on that day, had demanded -justice upon Borgia, thought better of it, and sent to get from -him the countersigns of his citadels. These Valentino refusing, -he was brought back to Rome under arrest on the 29th, and, after -much temporising, ultimately gave the necessary passwords for the -surrender of his last hold upon his recent dominions. - -Such seem the admitted facts of the Pope's treatment of Borgia. -His change of conduct may have been dictated by new circumstances -coming to his knowledge, or it may have been part of a systematic -deception, in order to turn Valentino's influence to his own -purposes. The opinions of Giovio and De Thou show that such treachery -as Guicciardini charges upon Julius, and as Cesare met soon after -from Gonsalvo di Cordova, was regarded by the lax public and private -morality of the age as justified by his own infamous perfidies. On -the other hand, it is admitted that the Cardinal della Rovere's high -reputation for good faith was one of his recommendations to the -conclave. Bossi, in an additional note to vol. IV. of his translation -of _Leo X._, considers this dark passage of history to be cleared up -by the narrative of Baldi, regarding Guidobaldo's generous treatment -of the enemy of his house, to which he attributes the moderation of -his Holiness; but this view does not seem borne out either by dates -or by Baldi's words.[*16] - -[Footnote *16: Cf. the latter, in which an account of the interview -between Cesare and Guidobaldo is given, UGOLINI, _op. cit._, vol. II., -p. 523. It does not bear out Giustiniani's account (q.v. ii., 326) of -what Guidobaldo said to him, and is probably mere rhetoric.] - -Thus terminated Duke Valentino's connection with the immediate -subject of this narrative. A few words will suffice to trace the -remainder of his fluctuating fortunes. Having been again transmitted -to Ostia, he remained there a sort of prisoner at large until -April, 1504, when his escape to Naples was connived at. There he -was received with distinction by Gonsalvo di Cordova, viceroy of -Ferdinand II.; but soon after, an order arrived from that king to -send him prisoner to Spain. With this command, suggested probably by -a brief from Julius, which Raynaldus has printed, the Great Captain -at once complied, although Borgia held his safe-conduct,--a breach of -faith which the Spanish historians justify by the alleged detection -of schemes and intrigues, originated by Cesare and perilous to the -ascendancy of his Catholic Majesty. Yet we learn that the Viceroy's -last hour seemed troubled by repentance for this stain upon his -conscience, which even in his day of pride one chivalrous spirit had -dared thus to question. Baldassare Scipio of Siena, a free captain -long in Cesare's service, publicly placarded a challenge to any -Spaniard who should venture to maintain "that the Duke Valentino had -not been arrested at Naples, in direct violation of a safe-conduct -granted in the names of Ferdinand and Isabella, to the great infamy -and infinite faithlessness of all their crowns." On reaching the land -of his fathers, this incarnate spirit of a blood-stained age was -confined in the castle of Medina del Campo, and the interest used for -his release by the Spanish cardinals, and by his brothers-in-law the -King of Navarre and the Duke of Ferrara, who offered their guarantee -for his good behaviour, was, during three years, unavailing on the -ground of his dangerous character. At length he made his escape by -a rope-ladder or cord, under circumstances so fool-hardy as to be -ascribed by the country people to supernatural aid, and reached the -King of Navarre, who gave him the command of an expedition against -the Count de Lerin. On the 10th of March, 1507, he fell into an -ambuscade near Viane, and was cut to pieces fighting desperately. By -a singular coincidence, his stripped and plundered body, having been -recognised by a servant, was interred in the church of Pampeluna, the -archbishopric of which had been his earliest promotion. Short as was -his life (for he seems to have died under thirty) he had survived all -his dignities and distinctions, realising the distich of Sannazaro, - - "CAESAR, he aimed at all, he vanquished all; - In all he fails, a CYPHER in his fall."[17] - -[Footnote 17: - - "Omnia vincebas, sperabas omnia Caesar; - Omnia deficiunt, incipis esse nihil."] - -Valentino's was a character peculiar to Spain, with which Pizarro -alone seems to have matched. His boundless ambition was profoundly -selfish and utterly unscrupulous; his energy of purpose owned no -impulse but egotism; his capacity was marred by meanness; his -splendid tastes served but as incentives to spoliation. The demands -of honour, the compunctions of conscience, the value of human -life availed nothing in his eyes. In him foresight became fraud, -calculation cunning, prudence perfidy, courage cruelty. His daring, -his constancy, his talent were devoted to murder, rapine, and -treachery. His campaigns were massacres, his justice vengeance, his -diplomacy a trick. Generosity was a stranger to his impulses, remorse -to his crimes. - - * * * * * - -Fortune, so long adverse to Guidobaldo, at length smiled upon him. -The election to the tiara of his relative and confidential friend, -Cardinal della Rovere, freed him from anxiety as to the restoration -of his duchy, and promised him a long career of prosperity and -honour. His policy of supporting the Venetians in their views upon -Romagna thus not only became superfluous as a check upon Borgia, -but seemed not unlikely to place him in a dilemma with the Camera. -The new Pontiff, therefore, lost no time in removing him from a -position of such delicacy, by summoning him to Rome. The invitation -found him encamped before Verucchio, whence he immediately set out; -and, after devoting two days at Urbino to public thanksgivings and -festivities for his own restoration and for the election of Julius, -he performed the journey in a litter, his gout preventing him from -riding. On the eleventh day, being the 20th of November, he was met -at the Ponte Molle by a superbly caparisoned mule, and on it was -painfully but honourably escorted by an imposing cortege to his -apartment in the Vatican, under a salute from the artillery of St. -Angelo. Notwithstanding his fatigue, he was bidden by the impatient -Pontiff to supper that evening, and was received by his Holiness on -the landing-place with equal favour and distinction. - -In the explanations which followed, their mutual views were frankly -stated. The claim which the Venetians had upon Guidobaldo, from -extending to him their hospitality and support in almost desperate -circumstances, was fully allowed by the Pope, and his avowal that, in -co-operating with them in an invasion of Romagna, he conceived they -were thwarting Borgia, not the Church, was accepted as satisfactory. -But his Holiness intimated, with reference to the future, that the -vassal of the Apostolic See had duties paramount to all foreign ties; -and that, since the rights of the Camera over that province admitted -of no compromise, he would do well to resign the service of the -Republic, and recall his consort to administer his affairs at home, -whilst he remained in Rome for the winter. To these suggestions the -Duke agreed, and wrote in most grateful terms to the government of -Venice, explaining the obstacles which had unexpectedly arisen to his -repaying at that moment the obligations he had incurred. We learn -from Sanuto that on the 10th of October the Duchess with her ladies -went into college, and being seated near the Doge, thanked the -Signory in her lord's name for the favour, command, and protection -granted to him, to which the Doge replied blandly, asserting the love -borne him by the Republic. Again, on the 15th of November, there came -into the cabinet of the Signory "the Duchess of Urbino with Madonna -Emilia and her company of damsels to take leave, for she is departing -early to-morrow morning for her duchy; she goes in a barge by the Po -as far as Ravenna, and from thence on horseback: and the Doge spake -her fair, and having taken leave, we sages of the orders accompanied -her as far as the palace-gates, and she proceeded along the Mercery, -reaching home on the 2d of December." - -Borgia took the opportunity of Guidobaldo's visit to make advances -for a reconciliation, having reason to dread his influence with -the Pope. These were received with courtesy; but, in the words of -the Venetian chronicler just quoted, "the Duke was resolved to -have his own again, especially the library, which was promised -him without damage, with the tapestries, although the Cardinal of -Rouen had already got a good share of them." According to Baldi's -elaborate and somewhat too dramatic description of their interview, -he magnanimously forgave the extraordinary injuries he had received -from his now humbled adversary. On the authority of private letters, -an anonymous diary, already noticed, states that the usurper threw -himself, cap-in-hand, at the Duke's feet, beseeching mercy and -pardon, and excusing his conduct on the plea of youth, the brutality -of his father, and the persuasions of others. This incident was -represented in a fresco by Taddeo Zucchero, which I saw at Cagli in -1843, and which had been cut from the villa built at S. Angelo in -Vado, by Duke Guidobaldo II. Cesare is a slight figure handsomely -dressed, with long sharp features, a high nose and reddish hair. He -kneels before the Duke of Urbino, raising his cap, whilst one notary -appears to read aloud an act of surrender, and another makes an -instrument upon the transaction.[18] - -[Footnote 18: Considering that Borgia was probably dead half a -century before this painting was commissioned, little reliance can be -placed upon the likeness. *This is the account alluded to in note *1, -page 29.] - -Even after Valentino had given authority for a surrender of the -citadels in Romagna, they were held by his officers upon the plea -that he was not a free agent, and the bearer of his missive was -hanged by the castellan of Cesena. At length the Pope ordered -Guidobaldo to reduce them by force. For this purpose he named -him gonfaloniere of the Church, retaining him and four hundred -men-at-arms, with a year's pay of 7000 ducats in advance. It was -about this time that he was invested with the insignia of the Garter, -to which illustrious order he had been elected in February. His -acquisition of this dignity, and Count Baldassare Castiglione's -mission to London as proxy at his installation, form an episode of -so much interest to an English reader that we have gleaned every -possible notice of these events, and have arranged them in II. of the -Appendix. - -The Duke left Rome for his command, accompanied by his nephew the -Prefettino, as he was then usually called from his youth, who had -returned from France three months before to wait upon his Holiness. -They were attended by Castiglione, who, after charming Julius by -his polished society, was permitted by him to transfer his services -to the court of Guidobaldo, of which he became the ornament and -commentator. On the 1st of June they reached Urbino, and found the -Duchess re-established among an attached people, who, to drive away -sad recollections of their recent sufferings, had amused her during -the preceding carnival with scenic imitations of the principal events -of the usurpation! One of these was the comedy (so called rather -in a Dantesque than a comic sense) of the Duke Valentino and Pope -Alexander VI. In it were successively represented their plotting the -seizure of the state, their sending the Lady Lucrezia to Ferrara, -their inviting the Duchess to her wedding, the invasion of the duchy, -the duke's first return, and his redeparture, the massacre of the -confederates, the death of the Pope, and the Duke's restoration to -his rights. - -The garrisons of Cesena and Bertinoro had surrendered ere Guidobaldo -took the field, that of Forli came to terms as soon as his troops -appeared. With it passed the last wreck of the Borgian substantial -power and vast ambition, within a year from the death of Alexander, -leaving to future times no memorial but a name doomed to lasting -execration. Guidobaldo had at the same time the satisfaction of -recovering most of the valuables that had been pillaged from his -palace, estimated by him at not less than 100,000 ducats, especially -a large proportion of his father's celebrated library. - -On the 6th of September the Duke retraced his steps to Urbino, and -there at length renewed the long-suspended joys of his secure and -tranquil residence. Few, perhaps, of their rank and age, less needed -such rough discipline to inculcate moderation, than this exemplary -couple. Yet must the lessons of adversity have been ordained for some -purifying purpose, and we may indulge the hope that they were not -sent in vain. The Duke devoted his earliest leisure to signalise his -gratitude for the unflinching loyalty of his subjects by conferring -upon their several municipalities various privileges and immunities, -and remitting their fiscal arrears. The Duchess expressed her -thankfulness by many works of piety, by liberal charities, and by -instituting a three days' fair on the anniversary of her lord's -restoration. Their domestic circle was agreeably enlarged by the -arrival of the Lady Prefectess, as the widow of Giovanni delle Rovere -was entitled, who, on returning from a similar exile, and after -paying her reverence to her brother-in-law the Pope, hastened to join -her son at her brother's court. We have noticed the services which -when assailed by Valentino, she received from Andrea Doria; they -were now acknowledged by Guidobaldo with the castle of Sassocorbaro, -and other holdings. Another guest at Urbino was Sigismondo Varana, -the young heir of Camerino, who arrived with his mother Maria, sister -of the Prefettino, and with his uncle and guardian Giovanni Maria, -who afterwards supplanted him in that state. - -Urbino was now enlivened by an event which proved of paramount -interest to its sovereign, and was destined by providence to carry -forward its independence and glories under a new dynasty. We have -seen how it had been proposed between the Cardinal della Rovere and -Guidobaldo, in 1498, that the latter should adopt the young Prefect -as his heir, and procure from the Pope a renewal of the Dukedom and -investitures to his favour.[19] The simulated sanction of Alexander -to this arrangement led to no result; but, as soon as Julius was -fixed in the seat of St. Peter, he took measures for placing his -nephew's prospects beyond question. In the natural course of events -the state of Urbino would lapse to the Holy See on the Duke's death, -and, as the uniform policy of this Pontiff was to unite to it as many -such fiefs as the failure of their seigneurs or the force of his -arms brought within his grasp, his making an exception of the most -valuable of them all in favour of his own nephew gave rise to not a -few strictures. It is, however, the only instance in which nepotism -can be laid to his charge, and the precedents left him by recent -Popes may be pleaded in justification of a comparatively trifling -abuse. - -[Footnote 19: See vol. I., p. 371.] - -On the 14th of September the Archbishop of Ragusa arrived at -Urbino as papal nuncio, charged with brieves for the completion -of this affair, and also with the ensigns of command for the Duke -as generalissimo of the ecclesiastical troops. The ceremonials -consequent upon the implement of his mission have been detailed by -Baldi, and are characteristic of the times we are endeavouring -to depict. The nuncio and his splendid suite were received with -distinction, and next day, being Sunday, was fixed for Guidobaldo's -installation. The whole court and principal inhabitants being -assembled in the cathedral, high mass was performed by him, after -which, standing in front of the altar, he laid aside his mitre, and -pronounced a solemn benediction on the two standards of the Church, -which were held furled by a canon, whilst he waved incense over them, -and sprinkled them with holy water. This ended, he desired them to -be mounted on their staves, and having sat down and resumed his -mitre, he presented them to the Duke, who received them, devoutly -kneeling on the altar-steps, and handed one to Ottaviano Fregoso, the -other to Morello d'Ortona. He then received the baton, with the like -ceremonies, and rose, after kissing hands; whereupon the audience -dispersed amid strains of martial music and popular acclamations. - -Upon the 18th, there assembled in the Duomo a still more numerous -and distinguished auditory; when, after celebration of mass by the -nuncio, he seated himself before the altar, with the Prefect on his -right, and the Duke on his left, and in an elegant Latin discourse, -set forth the desire of the latter to make sure the succession by -adopting his nephew, and the approval of the Pope and college of -cardinals to that substitution, in evidence of which the brieves and -other formal documents were read. A magnificent missal,--perhaps -that painted for Matthew Corvinus King of Hungary, which adorns the -Vatican Urbino Library,--was then placed in the hands of Francesco -Maria, opened at a miniature of the holy sacrament, and upon it -deputies from the communities of the duchy took the oath of fidelity -and homage to him as their future sovereign; all which having been -regularly attested in notorial instruments, the solemnity ended.[*20] - -[Footnote *20: Cf. MADIAI, _op. cit._, in _Arch. cit._, vol. -_cit._, p. 451-2.] - -These events served to aggravate the jealousy of the Venetians -against the claims of Julius upon their recent acquisitions of -Romagna, which they regarded as fairly conquered from Borgia. They -possessed in this way the states of Ravenna, Faenza, and Rimini, and -had gained footing upon the territories of Imola, Forli, and Cesena, -the inhabitants of which loudly complained of their aggressions. -Of all these places the Church was the acknowledged superior, and -the old investitures held under her by their respective princely -families had been annulled by Alexander, in order to make way for -his son. Some of these dynasties had died out, and Julius showed -no disposition to restore the others, his leading object being the -temporal aggrandisement of the papacy. At this juncture his Holiness -sent for Guidobaldo, to consult with him; and in order to facilitate -his arrival, presented him with a commodious litter swung between -two beautifully dappled horses. The winter journey was, however, -disastrous to his dilapidated frame, and he was laid up for nine -days at Narni with gout, complicated by fever and dysentery, and -consequently did not reach Rome with his nephew and Castiglione -until the 2nd of January, when they slept outside of the gate, and -next morning made a solemn entrance. It was the great object of the -Republic to be received as vicar or vassal of the Holy See in the -three first-mentioned states, and for this end they were willing to -abandon all claims and attempts upon the remaining three. Guidobaldo, -interposing as a mediator to prevent an open breach between parties -so mutually deserving of his friendship, persuaded the Signory to -abandon the latter places, and trust to the justice of Julius for the -fulfilment of their desires. To procure this, they sent, in April, -a splendid embassy to Rome of eight commissioners, with two hundred -attendants, headed by Bembo, who, passing by Urbino, received from -the Duchess a princely welcome. But no benefit accrued from this -measure, for the Pontiff's ultimatum was announced to the senate -through Louis XII., giving them Rimini and Faenza, during his life -only, a result highly unsatisfactory to the Republic. - -The Duke's prolonged residence in Rome, where his company became -greatly prized by the Pope, was little relished by his consort or his -people; so, to maintain them in good humour, his Holiness announced -a plenary indulgence for all their broken vows and deeds of violence -during the late usurpation, to such as should devoutly observe the -Easter ceremonies. The alms collected at this jubilee, amounting to -2265 florins, were expended upon the duomo of Urbino. At length, in -the end of July, 1506, he obtained leave to return home, on the plea -that change of air was advisable for his health.[*21] - -[Footnote *21: Cf. MADIAI, _op. cit._, in _Arch. cit._, vol. -_cit._, p. 455. This Diary says that the Duke returned at the end of -February, 1506.] - -Julius, having announced to the consistory his intention of extending -the temporal sovereignty of the Church over such portions of the -ecclesiastical territory as were possessed by tyrants (for so he -called the vicars and other lords who ruled their petty states as -feudatories of the Holy See), carried his design into effect with -characteristic energy. He set out for Perugia on the 26th of August, -after having directed the Duke of Urbino and his nephew to march -thither, each with two hundred men-at-arms, and expel its seigneur -Gianpaolo Baglioni. Here Guidobaldo again appeared as mediator, and, -persuaded by him to submit with good grace to a fate that he could -not avert, the Lord of Perugia gave up his fortresses, and was taken -into the pay of Julius for his expedition against Bologna. The Pope, -elated by the ease with which so formidable an opponent had been -disposed of, pressed on preparations for attacking the Bentivoglii. -He reached Urbino on the 25th of September, accompanied by twenty-two -cardinals, with a suitable cortege, and a guard of four hundred men. -Beyond the walls he was received by forty-five noble youths, dressed -in doublets and hose of white silk, who, on his alighting, seized as -their perquisite his richly caparisoned mule, which was afterwards -redeemed from them for sixty golden ducats. The gates were thrown -down to receive him, and he was there met by the Duke, disabled from -dismounting; by the magistracy, who presented the keys; and by the -court and clergy. A rich canopy shaded him, as the holy sacrament -was borne before him to the cathedral; and after devotion there, he -entered the palace, which next evening was illuminated, along with -the citadel, fireworks being displayed in the piazza. Some singular -usages of hospitality were adopted on this occasion. The Duke -presented to his Holiness a hundred sacks of flour, as much barley -and corn, with a proportionate quantity of live stock and poultry, -to the value in all of 800 ducats.[*22] This donative was accepted, -and part of it was handed over to the hospital of the Misericordia. -In anticipation of the Pope's advent, the roads were repaired and -smoothed, triumphal arches and statues were erected, flowers and -evergreens were strewn before him, the streets were adorned with gay -hangings and shaded by linen awnings, the palace was arrayed in those -rich tapestries, pictures, and furniture, which the taste of Federigo -and his son had accumulated. Next evening, the palace roofs and the -citadel were illuminated, and over the latter was hung a brilliant -cross of fire. Deputations arrived from Pesaro, and the principal -places in the duchy, with gifts of provisions; but large supplies had -been previously laid in by the Duke for so vast an influx; and in -order to regulate prices, the following tariff, calculated at about -half the current value, was proclaimed. - - Wheat, per staio or bush 45 bolognini. - Barley " " 36 " - Oats " " 24 " - Wine, per somma 54 " - Ditto, new " 27 " - Mutton, per lb. 1 " - Veal, per lb. 10 " - Ox flesh " 8 " - Salt meat " 1 to 7 " - Capons, per pair 9 " - Fowls " 4 to 7 " - Pigeons " 4 to 7 " - Wood pigeons, per pair 1 to 7 " - Eggs, seven for 1 " - Cheese, per lb. 1 to 7 " - Hay, per cwt. 4 to 7 " - Wood, per somma 1/2 carlino.[23] - -[Footnote *22: Cf. MADIAI, _op. cit._, _Arch. cit._, vol. -_cit._, p. 456-7.] - -[Footnote 23: These, and many other particulars interwoven with our -narrative, are taken from the anonymous Diary, Vat. Urb. MSS. No. -904. During the preceding year of scarcity, wheat had varied in -different parts of Italy from four to twelve golden ducats, each -of forty bolognini, a price scarcely credible. Riposati quotes a -document proving that in 1450 a florin contained forty bolognini of -Gubbio, of which twenty-nine and a half were coined from an ounce of -silver, with 9/48 of alloy. Although it seems right to insert the -above tariff, most of the prices appear enormous, beyond all belief. -See the Preface to this work, for the comparative value of money. -*This diary is the one quoted under MADIAI.] - -[Illustration: _Anderson_ - -POPE JULIUS II - -_From the picture by Raphael in the Pitti Gallery, Florence_] - -On the 29th of the month, his Holiness set out for Bologna, and, -avoiding the territory held by the Venetians, reached Cesena on -the 2nd of October by mountain tracks through Macerata and S. Leo. -Thence he summoned the Bentivoglii to surrender their city to him as -its lawful sovereign, and ordered the people on pain of interdict -to abandon their cause, and open the gates. These chiefs had made -great preparations for defence, but subsequently, on finding -themselves deserted by Louis XII., offered terms, to which Julius, -elated at the prospect of French succours, would not listen. The -war, which promised to be obstinate, passed off in a revolution; for -the Bentivoglii, losing heart, made their escape, to the delight -of the citizens, who, thus saved from a siege, threw open their -gates, and hailed the Pope as their liberator. He made his entry -on Martinmas-day, and at once confirmed this favourable impression -by abolishing various grievances, and by scattering in the streets -4000 golden scudi bearing the legend "Bologna freed from its tyrant -by Julius."[24] The mob showed their zeal by demolishing the -palace of their late rulers, one of the most beautiful in Italy, -wherein miserably perished many treasures of art; and its ill-fated -master and mistress soon after died of broken hearts in Lombardy. -But fortune is fickle, and the breath of popular favour still more -changeful. Four years and a half from this date the war-cry of -"Bentivoglio" again rang through these streets; the same mob strained -their brawny sinews to level the citadel which Julius had erected -to curb them, and to shatter the colossal statue of him with which -Michael Angelo had adorned their piazza; the same Pontiff saved -himself from capture, and his legate escaped from the popular fury -to fall by the dagger of a friend. Such are the retributions of -HIM "whose ways are unsearchable, and whose thoughts are -past finding out."[25] - -[Footnote 24: In the same feeling, though of later date, a copy of -Raffaele's speaking portrait of his Holiness, now in the Torlonia -Gallery, and attributed to Giulio Romano, is inscribed, "The author -of freedom, for the citizens he saved." This conquest became a -triumph of art as well as of arms; the colossal statue of Julius, -begun by Michael Angelo in Nov. 1506, was erected in February, 1508. -It weighed 17,500 lb. of bronze, and cost about 12,000 golden ducats, -of which 1000 went to the artist.] - -[Footnote 25: See ch. xxxiii. of this work.] - -The Pope remained until late in February to settle his new conquest, -keeping the Duke near him as a friend and counsellor, and on the -3rd of March, in defiance of the inclement season, repeated his -visit to Urbino for one day, with a smaller company, while on his -return to Rome. His host, after conveying him as far as Cagli on the -5th, pleaded his constitutional malady, and returned home with the -Prefect. As this was the period selected by Count Castiglione for -portraying the ducal court, it will be well to pause for a little, -and consider the representation he has left us of it. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - - The Court of Urbino, its manners and its stars. - - -The taste for philosophy, letters, and arts, and the patronage of -their professors which Cosimo de' Medici and his son Lorenzo the -Magnificent had introduced among the merchant-rulers of Florence, -were, as we have already seen, adopted by several petty sovereigns of -the Peninsula, but chiefly by those in the district of Romagna.[26] -Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta was the first to engraft these fruits -of peace upon a military despotism, which his restless ambition and -fierce temper ever rendered the torment of his neighbours, and the -scourge of his people. The d'Este of Ferrara, the Sforza of Pesaro, -but, above all, Duke Federigo of Urbino, improving upon his example, -had shown how mental cultivation might be brought to modify, or, as -the Latin idiom has it, to humanise, without enervating, a martial -character. The reign of Guidobaldo was peculiarly favourable to -the development of this new and attractive principle; for though -enabled partially to sustain the fame in arms which his father had -bequeathed him, his feeble health gave him greater opportunity for -the cultivation of letters, and for the society of the learned, -to which he was naturally partial. Seconded by the sympathies of -his estimable Duchess, his palace became a resort of the first -literary and political celebrities of the day, who during the few -years that succeeded his restoration, diffused over it a tone of -refinement elsewhere unrivalled. To fix for the contemplation of -posterity those graceful but transient images which flitted across -this gay and brilliant society was the pleasing task undertaken by -Castiglione,[*27] one of its most polished ornaments. - -[Footnote 26: See above, ch. viii., ix., x.] - -[Footnote *27: The following is a short bibliography of _Il -Cortegiano_, and of works relating to it:-- - -SALVADORI, _Il Cortegiano_ (Firenze, 1884). - -CIAN, _Il Cortegiano_ (Firenze, 1894). - -OPDYCKE, _The Book of the Courtier_ (New York, 1901). - -BOTTARI, _Studio su B.C. e il suo Libro_ (Pisa, 1874). - -LUZIO E RENIER, _Mantova e Urbino_ (Torino, 1893). - -CIAN, in _Giornale Stor. d. Lett. It._, vol. XV. fasc. 43 e -44. - -CIAN, _Un Codice ignoto di Rime volgari app. a B.C._ in -_Giornale cit._, vol. XXXIV., p. 297, XXXV., p. 53. - -SERASSI, _Lettere_, 2 vols. (Padova, 1769-71). - -RENIER, _Notizia di Lettere ined. di B.C._ (Torino, 1889). - -MARIELLO, _La Cronologia del Cortegiano_ (Pisa, 1895). - -JOLY, _De B.C. opere cui titulus Il Cortegiano_ (Cadomi, -1856). - -TOBLER, _C. und sein Hofmann_, in Schweizer Museum, 1884. - -VALMAGGI, _Per le fonti del Corteg._, in _Giornale cit._, -XIV., 72. - -GERINI, _Gli scrittori pedagog. ital. d. Sec. XVI._ (Torino, -1897), p. 43.] - -The title _Il Cortegiano_,[*28] literally the Courtier, may be -appropriately translated, "the mirror of a perfect courtier." -The author intended it, to use the words of his preface, "as a -portraiture of the court of Urbino, not by the hand of Raffaele or -Michael Angelo, but by an inferior artist, whose capacity attains no -further than a general outline, without decking truth in attractive -colours, or flattering it by skilful perspective."[*29] But laying -aside metaphor, he thus accounts for the origin of his undertaking. -"After the death of the Lord Guidobaldo of Montefeltro Duke of -Urbino, I, with several other knights who had been in his household, -remained in the service of Duke Francesco Maria della Rovere, his -heir and successor in that state. And as the fragrant influence -continued fresh upon my mind of the deceased Duke's virtues, and of -the pleasure I had for some years enjoyed in the amiable society of -the excellent persons who then frequented his court, I was induced -from these reflections to write a treatise of THE COURTIER. -This I accomplished in a few days, with the intention of subsequently -correcting the errors incidental to so hasty a composition." - -[Footnote *28: In the _Lettera Dedicatoria_. Cf. Ed. Cian, _op. -cit._, p. 4.] - -[Footnote *29: This is the opening of the _Lettera Dedicatoria_ to -Don Michel de Silva, Bishop of Viseo.] - -[Illustration: _Alinari_ - -PORTRAIT OF A LADY, HER HAIR DRESSED IN THE MANNER OF THE FIFTEENTH -CENTURY - -_From the picture by ? Verrocchio [Transcriber's Note: now attributed -to Piero del Pollaiolo] in Poldo-Pezzoli Collection, Milan_] - -The point which he undertakes is "to state what I consider the -courtiership most befitting a gentleman in attendance on princes, -whereby he may best be taught and enabled to perform towards them all -seemly service, so as to obtain their favour and general applause; to -explain, in short, what a courtier in all respects perfect ought to -be."[*30] - -[Footnote *30: Opening paragraph of first book. Ed. Cian, p. 11.] - -We cannot here follow the Count into the wide field which he thus -indicates, nor is it necessary, since his own work is accessible in -several languages. But from various passages we may offer a sketch of -the manners approved at the pattern court of Urbino, which will not -be deemed misplaced in these pages. The men who figured there were -chiefly distinguished in arms or letters. Whilst the former spent -their leisure in recollections of war and love, or in the congenial -pastimes of the field and the chase, the conversation of the -latter was often warped towards scholastic disputation, or tainted -by classic pedantry. Such manners have often been described, and -their interest has long passed away; but in a society where female -influence prevailed, and in an age when female intellect was fruitful -in prodigies, it may be well to see what were the graces expected -from a palace-dame.[*31] - -[Footnote *31: Concerning Elisabetta Gonzaga. Cf. LUZIO E -RENIER, _Mantova e Urbino, Isabella d'Este, ed Elisabetta -Gonzaga_ (Torino, 1893).] - -At the head of a string of common-place endowments we find a noble -bearing, an avoidance of affectation, a natural grace in every -action. Beauty is considered as most desirable, not indispensable; -and its improvement by such artificial means as painting and -enamelling the face, extirpating hairs on the eyebrows or forehead, -is derided. White teeth and hands are fully appreciated, but -their frequent display is censured. A neat _chaussure_ is lauded, -especially when veiled by long draperies. In short, natural elegance -and the absence of artifice are primary qualifications. A high-born -lady must be circumspect even beyond suspicion, avoiding ill-timed -familiarity, and all freedom of language verging upon licence; but -when casually exposed to discussions tending to pruriency, a modest -blush would be becoming, whilst shrinking or prudery might expose her -to sneers. Willingly to listen to or repeat slander of her own sex -is a fatal error, which will always be harshly construed by men. Her -accomplishments and amusements should ever be selected with feminine -delicacy, verging upon timidity; her dress chosen in tasteful -reference to what is most becoming, but with apparent absence of -study. In conversing with men she should be frank, affable, and -lively; but modest, staid, and self-possessed, with a nice observance -of tact and decorum. Noisy hilarity, a hoyden address, egotism, -prolixity, and the unseasonable combination of serious with ludicrous -topics are equally objectionable, but most of all affectation. Yet -she ought to be witty, capable of varied conversation in literature, -music, and painting, skilled in dancing and festive games. Nor should -that of a good housewife be wanting to her other qualities. In short, -the theory of a paragon lady of the 1500 might equally suit for one -of the present day. We should come to a very different conclusion -as to her real character, were we to test it by some passages of -the _Cortegiano_, wherein the Duchess Elisabetta, in chastity the -mirror of her age, listens approvingly with her courtly dames to long -passages of prurient twaddle, ever skirting and often overstepping -the limits of decency. Nor were the morals around her conformable to -her own pure example, and that of the immaculate Emilia Pia.[*32] -One sad instance in the ducal family we shall have to note, while -narrating the early life of Duke Francesco Maria I.; another, -remarkable from the subsequent status of the personage to whose birth -the scandal attaches, will immediately be mentioned in connection -with Giuliano de' Medici.[33] - -[Footnote *32: This lady was the inseparable companion of the Duchess -Elisabetta. She was the daughter of Mario Pio, of the Lords of -Carpi. Early the widow of Antonio of Montefeltro, natural brother -of Guidobaldo, she remained at Urbino. She died, as it seems, a -true lady of the Renaissance. "Senza alcun sacramento di la chiesa, -disputando una parte del Cortegiano col Conte Ludovico da Canosso." -Cf. Rossi, _Appunti per la storia della musica alla Corte d'Urbino_, -in Rassegna Emiliana, Ann. I. (fasc. VIII.), p. 456, n. 1.] - -[Footnote 33: See below, p. 57.] - -But it would not be just, after adorning our narrative with -flattering sketches from Castiglione's pencil, to exclude one or -two anecdotes of the manners actually permitted among the polished -society he professes to portray, although their coarseness and -vulgarity, scarcely redeemed by their humour, may be considered as -staining our pages. They occur in some memorials of the conversation -of Francesco Maria, noted by a contemporary from personal -observation.[34] - -[Footnote 34: Vat. Urb. MSS. No. 1023, art. 21. There is a copy of -this MS. in the library of Newbattle Abbey, Scotland.] - -The subject of discussion happening to be Mark Antony's weakness -in permitting Cleopatra to accompany him to the fight of Actium, -the Duke said, "My father-in-law, the Marquis of Mantua, being at -Mortara, in the service of France, Ludovico il Moro was in the -camp with his Duchess, and one day, seeing the Marquis suffering -from violent pain in the shoulder, said to him, 'Sir, I have -the Duchess here, what shall I do with her?' The Marquis, being -otherwise occupied, and suffering great pain, replied, 'How can I -tell? send her to a brothel!' an answer quite off-hand, and truly -appropriate"--from the brother of our paragon Duchess Elisabetta. - -Niccolo de' Pii, a condottiere in the service of the Duke's father, -was very fat and overgrown. Dining one day with some Spanish -officers, after finishing a trout, he sent the head and back-bone -to one of them called Pedrada, who thereupon caustically retorted, -"It is yourself that has more want of head than of stomach," a reply -applauded as most cutting, for, "having more size than sense, he -needed the brains rather than the belly." The same Spaniard one day, -at a cardinal's reception, began to eat a candle, which, though -apparently of wax, was in the centre of tallow; finding it greasy -between his teeth, he seized the candlestick, and dashed it on the -floor, muttering, "I swear to God it is not silver:" the candle being -counterfeit, he fancied the candlestick must needs be so too. When -talking of absent men, the Duke told these anecdotes of Ottaviano -Fregoso, a star of the Urbino circle. As he conversed with his aunt -Duchess Elisabetta, holding her hand, his mind wandered to other -matters, and he began to twist about her fingers as he would have -done a switch, finally thrusting one of them into his nose, when a -burst of laughter from the bystanders recalled his thoughts. Dining -one day at the table of Julius II., he sheathed and unsheathed his -poignard, jingling the handle, until the Pope, losing all temper, -exclaimed, "Begone to a brothel, pox take you! Be off, and the -devil go with you!" Whereupon Signor Ottaviano began to make humble -excuses for his natural defect of recollection, to the infinite -glee of many church dignitaries who witnessed the scene. Yet only -two days thereafter, chancing to converse in the papal antechamber -with an ambassador who wore a massive gold chain, he, in a fit of -abstraction, thrust his finger into one of the links. Just then, -his Holiness appearing, the courtiers drew aside to make way, and -Fregoso was dragged along, throwing them all into confusion; nor -could he get free until he had well "salivated" his finger. Yet when -his wits were not a wool-gathering, this was considered the most -finished gentleman in Italy, and the most ready in reply. Thus, his -uncle, Duke Guidobaldo appearing one day in a violet satin jerkin -of unexceptionable fit, Ottaviano exclaimed, "My Lord Duke, -you really are _the_ handsome Signor!" "How disgusting are dull -flatterers who thus openly display their adulation," was the stinging -reply. "My Lord Duke," rejoined the courtier, "I meant not to say -that you are a man of worth, though I pronounced you a fine man and a -handsome nobleman;" an answer which made the Duke wince, and brought -credit to its author. - -[Illustration: _Alinari_ - -A LADY OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY] - -But enough of this gossip: the reader of the _Cortegiano_, and its -author's charming letters, will find there many more attractive -and not less veracious touches of the Montefeltrian court, where -learning and accomplishment were often called upon to give dignity -and grace to social pastimes. Thus, the Duchess is represented as -singing to her lute those verses from the fourth _Aeneid_, in which, -at the moment of self-immolation, Dido apostrophised the garments -forgotten by her faithless lover when he fled from her charms, until, -Orpheus-like, she had wiled the savage animals from their lairs, and -set the stones in sympathetic movement. At her court there were no -lack of pens to clothe in verse the passing fancies of the hour, and -adapt them to the musical or melodramatic tastes which gave a tone -of refinement to its amusements. Thus, for the carnival of 1506, -Castiglione and his messmate Cesare Gonzaga composed the pastoral -eclogue of _Tirsis_, which was acted by them before the court, with -choruses and a brilliant moresque dance. The personages of the -dialogue are Iola (Castiglione) and Dameta (Gonzaga), who describe -to Tirsi, a stranger shepherd, the ducal circle of Urbino, with the -Duchess at its head as goddess of the river Metauro. The Moresca, so -named from its supposed Moorish origin, was perhaps borrowed from -the ancient Pyrrhic dance, and consisted in a sort of mock fight, -performed to the sound of music with measured tread, and blunted -poignards. Next spring a somewhat similar pastoral, from the pen of -Bembo, was recited by him and Ottaviano Fregoso to the same audience. - -Such and such-like were the favourite court diversions of Urbino. -Their stately conceits and solemn pedantry suited the spirit of that -classic age and the genius of a pomp-loving people; but it would be -scarcely fair to regard them as fully embodying the tone of manners -prevalent in the palace of Guidobaldo. In it were harmoniously -mingled the opposite qualities which then predominated at the various -Italian courts. Scholastic pretensions, still esteemed in many of -them, here thawed before the easier address of the new school. -Those abstruse studies which the Medici had brought into vogue were -eclipsed by a galaxy of brilliant wits. Even the ruthless bearing of -the old condottieri princes mellowed under the charm of female tact, -while the sensual splendour indulged by recent pontiffs was chastened -by the exemplary demeanour of the ducal pair. - -Our appreciation of this picture would, however, scarcely be -correct or complete, did we not bear in mind the inner life of -contemporary sovereigns. We need not dwell on the contrasts afforded -in other Peninsular capitals, for these were rather of degree than -character, and would only show us the prevalence here of a gentler -courtesy and more pervading refinement. But we may fairly compare -the palace-pastimes of Urbino with those held in acceptance by -the princes and peerage of northern states, where deep potations -dulled the senses, or brutalised the temper; where intellect rarely -sought a more refined gratification than the monotonous recital -of legendary adulation; and where wit was monopolised by dwarfs -and professional jesters. In order better to preserve the form and -fashion of this pattern for princes, we shall transfer to our pages, -from Castiglione's groupings, some outlines of its chief ornaments, -beginning with himself.[35] - -[Footnote 35: Castiglione was related through his mother to several -of the Urbino stars,--the Fregosi, Trivulzio, and Emilia Pia.] - - * * * * * - -[Illustration: COUNT BALDASSARE CASTIGLIONE. - -_Raffaele pinx._ _L. Ceroni sculp._ - -_From a picture in the Torlonia Gallery, Rome_] - -From CASTIGLIONE, in Lombardy, sprang the ancestry of -COUNT BALDASSARE, and among them were numbered not a few -names of note in church and state. His father was no mean soldier, -in times when the captains of Italy bore a European reputation; -his mother, a Gonzaga of the Mantuan house, was descended from the -haughty Farinato degli Uberti, who, when accosted by Dante in _The -Vision_,-- - - "His heart and forehead there - Erecting, seemed as in high scorn he held - E'en hell." - -The Count was born at Casatico, in the Mantuese, on the 6th of -December, 1478.[*36] His education, besides including the various -studies and accomplishments usual to an Italian gentleman of the -fifteenth century, was specially directed to those classical -attainments which entered into the literary pursuits of the age. The -death of his father left him early master of a handsome patrimony, -and he at once embraced that courtier-life for which he was -peculiarly fitted,--a life, which in a land subdivided into petty -sovereignties, constituted the only profession open to civilians of -noble birth and distinguished endowments, and on which his pen was -destined to confer perpetual illustration. After a brief visit to -Milan,[*37] and a short campaign in Naples with his relative the -Marquis Francesco of Mantua, he repaired to Rome in 1503, where, by -discretion and winning address, he quickly gained the new Pontiff's -favour. In Count Castiglione, the penetration of Julius recognised -a fit instrument for promoting his favourite scheme of securing -Urbino to his nephew Francesco Maria della Rovere; and by attaching -him to Guidobaldo, he fixed at that court a friend whose influence -was certain to extend itself, and whose example would benefit his -youthful relation. - -[Footnote *36: For the biography of Castiglione, see -MARLIANI in the Cominana edition of the _Opere Volgari_ -(Padua, 1733), and SERASSI, in _Poesie volgari e latine del -Castiglione_ (Roma, 1760), as well as the following works:-- - -MAZZUCHELLI, _Baldassare Castiglione_ (Narducci, Roma). - -MARTINATI, _Notizie Stor. bibliogr. intorno al Conte B.C._ -(Firenze, 1890). Cf. on this CIAN, in _Giorn. St. della -Lett. It._, XVII., 113. - -BUFARDECI, _La vita letter. del c. B.C._ (Ragusa, 1900). Cf. -on this _Giorn. St. della Lett. It._, XXXVIII., 203. - -CIAN, _Candidature nuziali di B.C._ (Venezia, 1892, per -nozze Salvioni-Taveggia).] - -[Footnote *37: He was educated at Milan, where he probably learned -Latin from Giorgio Merula, and Greek from Demetrio Calcondila, and -cultivated at the same time the _poesia volgare_ (see CIAN, -_Un Cod. ignoto_, cited on p. 44, note *1). While he was still very -young he was attached to the Court of Il Moro. His father died in -1499 from a wound got at the battle of the Taro. He returned to -Casatico on the fall of Sforza, and then joined Marchese Francesco.] - -The court of Urbino had already been for half a century the brightest -star in the constellation of Italian principalities, and under -its fostering influence were fully developed those fine qualities -which nature and early training had formed in Castiglione. His -first essay was as captain of fifty men-at-arms, with 400 ducats -of nominal pay, besides allowances; and his earliest exploit in -this new service was the reduction of Forli, in 1504. The finances -of Guidobaldo were necessarily at a low ebb, and it is amusing to -find Baldassare's frequent lamentations to his mother, over the -arrears of his pay:--"Our doings are jolly but inconsiderable, that -is, on small means; we have never yet seen a farthing, but daily -and most devoutly look for some cash." It was not, however, till -nearly a year later that he received twenty-five ducats to account, -having often in the interval asked her aid, representing himself as -penniless, and living upon credit. In 1509,[*38] after returning -from his mission to England, which peculiarly required the graces -of a finished cavalier, and of which some account will be found in -II. of the Appendix, he attached himself to the Duke's immediate -person during the brief remainder of his life, and when it closed, -was sent to Gubbio, to maintain the interests of the succession, in -event of any popular outbreak. The favour which he had enjoyed from -Guidobaldo was amply continued under his nephew, whose fortunes he -followed during several years, sharing his successes in the field, -and sustaining him under his disgrace at the pontifical court. These -events must, however, be here touched with a flying pen, that we may -not anticipate details on which we shall afterwards have to dwell. -His reward was a grant of Novillara, near Pesaro; and when Francesco -Maria had exchanged sovereignty for exile, he returned to the service -of his natural lord, the Marquis of Mantua, whom he long represented -at the court of Leo X. To this Pontiff, Baldassare had nearly become -related, by a marriage with his niece Clarice de' Medici, which was -greatly promoted by Giuliano, during their residence at Urbino. -The negotiation was, however, broken off in January, 1509, by the -intrigues of her aunt, Lucrezia Salviati, who persuaded her uncle, -the Cardinal Giovanni, that, by bestowing her hand upon Filippo -Strozzi, he would strengthen the interest of his family at Florence. -The match having been, according to Italian usage, an interested -arrangement, its dissolution was borne with great philosophy by the -intended bridegroom; who some seven years later married Ippolita, -daughter of Count Guido Torelli, a celebrated condottiere, by -Francesca, daughter of Giovanni Bentivoglio, Lord of Bologna.[*39] -The ceremony was performed at Mantua, and was celebrated with -tournaments and pompous shows, in which the court and people took a -lively interest. But their happy union was of brief duration. The -Countess died four years after, in childbed of a daughter. Her name -has been embalmed in a beautiful Latin ode, wherein her husband -embodied those laments for his absence which he doubtless had often -heard from her lips, expressing all the tenderness of nuptial love, -and adorning a woman's pathos with a poet's fire. Nothing can be more -beautiful than the allusion to her husband's portrait:-- - - "Your features portrayed by Raffaele's art - Alone my longings can solace in part: - On them I lavish jests and winning wiles, - As if their words could echo back my smiles; - At times they seem by gestures to respond, - And answer in your wonted accents fond: - Our boy his sire salutes with babbling phrase. - Such are the thoughts deceive my lingering days." - -[Footnote *38: He was in England in 1506. Guidobaldo died in 1508. It -was to Duke Francesco he attached himself on his return.] - -[Footnote *39: On the various designs for Castiglione's marriage, see -CIAN, _op. cit._, p. 46, note 1.] - -In her epitaph, the Count summed up his wife's character and -endowments, with a doubt whether her beauty or her virtue were more -remarkable; to which her eulogist, Steffano Guazzo, has added a third -grace--her learning. During the first anguish of widowhood he was -supposed to have turned his thoughts to ecclesiastical orders; but -whatever views of that nature he may have entertained were speedily -abandoned; and in 1523 we find him again in Lombardy, with his -gallant company, under the banner of the Gonzagas. - -On the accession of Clement VII., the Marquis of Mantua again sent -him to represent his interests at Rome, where he was not long in -obtaining from the new Pope the same favour which he had enjoyed -under his uncle, Leo X. His diplomatic talents were now acknowledged -as of the first order; and Clement, foreseeing, perhaps, the -impending difficulties of his position with the Emperor, prevailed -upon Castiglione to accept the nomination of nuncio to Madrid. His -courtly qualities were not less agreeable to Charles V. and the -grandees of Spain than they had been in Italy; and in the romantic -project by which the Emperor proposed to decide in single combat -his unquenchable rivalry with Francis I., the Count was selected as -his second,--an honour which his diplomatic functions prevented his -accepting. Even while the troops and name of Charles were used by -Bourbon to inflict upon the Apostolic See the greatest blow which -its capital had suffered since the temporal power of the Church -rose on the ruins of the Roman empire, the Nuncio was receiving new -honours at Madrid, and was only prevented by his own scruples -from obtaining the temporalities of the bishopric of Avila, one of -the richest in Spain. In this most delicate position he retained -the confidence of his master, who seems to have been satisfied that -to no remissness on his part were owing the horrors of the sack of -Rome. But these miserable results of jealousies between the Pope -and the Emperor, which all his tact and influence were powerless to -remove, rendered his position anything but enviable, and appear to -have preyed alike upon mind and body. He sank under a short illness -at Toledo, on the 2nd of February, 1529,[*40] and was lamented by -Charles as "one of the best knights in the world." A letter of -condolence, written to his mother by Clement, affords ample evidence -that the fruitless results of his diplomacy in Spain had nowise -diminished the Pope's confidence in his good service and attachment -to his person. - -[Footnote *40: He died on February 7th, not 2nd.] - -[Illustration: _Alinari_ - -HAIR DRESSING IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY - -_Detail from the fresco by Pisanello in S. Anastasia of Verona_] - -In the _Cortegiano_ of Castiglione we are furnished with an -elaborate, and in the main faithful, delineation of the men, the -manners, and the accomplishments which rendered the court of Urbino -a model for his age, and also with an interesting picture of the -immediate circle which Guidobaldo and his estimable Duchess formed -around them. We have drawn upon it amply for this portion of our -volumes, but the notices which it affords of the Duke are of the -most vague and disappointing character. This deficiency would be -of little consequence, did the accounts which the same author -has left in a Latin letter to Henry VIII. do full justice to his -early patron. But from one whose opportunities of collecting ample -and authentic particulars were unusual, the passing allusions to -many momentous incidents are truly unsatisfactory. His details of -scholarship and accomplishments would be more valuable, if divested -of an air of exaggeration which even solemn asseverations of veracity -scarcely remove. With all their faults, these are preferable to the -compilation of Bembo, to which we shall in due time more particularly -advert. Those who wade through its laboured and redundant expletives -will probably come to the conclusion that Castiglione has preserved -whatever they contain worthy of notice. - -The Count was a finished gentleman, in an age when that character -included a variety of mental acquirements, as well as many personal -accomplishments. His verses in Latin and Italian breathe a fine -spirit of poetry; his letters merit a distinguished place as models -of correspondence; his diplomatic address was highly approved by -the sovereigns whom he served, as well as by those to whom he -was accredited; he has been complimented as the delight of his -contemporaries, the admiration of posterity. - - * * * * * - -GIULIANO DE' MEDICI was third son of Lorenzo the -Magnificent, and was known in the circle of Urbino by the same -appellation. Born in 1478, he passed at that court several years -of his family's exile from Florence; nor was he ungrateful for the -splendid hospitality he there enjoyed, for, while he lived, his -influence with his brother, Leo X., averted those designs against -the dukedom, which were directed to his own aggrandisement. After -the restoration of the Medici, Leo confided to him the government of -Florence, which he endeavoured to administer in the spirit of his -father, and succeeded in gaining the good will of the people. But -the Pope was not satisfied with the re-establishment of his race as -sovereigns of that republic; and the fine qualities and vast ideas -of Giuliano suggested him as a fit instrument of further grasping -schemes. To realise these, Leo coquetted between France and Spain, -and, like his predecessors, sacrificed the peace of Italy. The prizes -which he successively proposed for Giuliano, who, by resigning -Florence into the hands of his nephew Lorenzo, the heir-male of his -house, was free to accept whatever sovereignty might be had, were -the duchy of Milan, a state in Eastern Lombardy and Ferrara, or the -crown of Naples. In June, 1515, the Pontiff conferred on him the -insignia of gonfaloniere and captain-general of the Church; but he -was prevented from active service by a fever which cut him off in -the following March, when only thirty-eight, not without suspicion -of poison at the hands of his nephew Lorenzo. His name is enshrined -in Bembo's prose and Ariosto's verse, whilst his tomb by Michael -Angelo in the Medicean Chapel, which Rogers, with a quaint but happy -antithesis, calls "the most real and unreal thing which ever came -from the chisel," is one of the glories of art.[*41] Shortly before -his death he had married Filiberta of Savoy, whose nephew, Francis -I., created him Duke of Nemours, and, had his life been prolonged, -would probably have aided him to further aggrandisement. - -[Footnote *41: Giuliano was not so bad a poet himself. Cf. on this -subject SERASSI, in the Annotazioni to the _Tirsi_ of Castiglione at -stanza 43, and the five sonnets contained in _Cod. Palat._, 206 (_I -Cod. Palat. della Nazionale Centrale di Firenze_, vol. I., fasc. 4), -and the six of _Cod. Magliabech._ II., I., 60 (BARTOLI, _I manoscritti -della Bib. Nazionale di Firenze_, tom. I., p. 38).] - -During his residence at Urbino, from an intrigue with Pacifica -Brandani, a person of high rank or base condition, for both extremes -have been conjectured to account for the mystery, there was born to -him a son, who, after being exposed in the streets in 1511, was sent -to the foundling hospital, and baptized Pasqualino. Removed to Rome -and acknowledged in 1513, the child received an excellent education; -and under the munificent patronage of the Medici became Cardinal -Ippolito, whose tastes were more for arms than mass-books, and whose -handsome features and gallant bearing, expressive of his splendid -character, are preserved to us in the Pitti Gallery by the gorgeous -tints of Titian, alone worthy of such a subject. - - * * * * * - -The next personage of this goodly company was CESARE -GONZAGA, descended from a younger branch of the Mantuan -house, and cousin-german of Count Baldassare, whose quarters he -shared in 1504, when they returned together from the reduction of -Valentino's strongholds in Romagna, where he had the command of fifty -men-at-arms. We know little of him beyond his having been a knight of -St. John of Jerusalem, and ambassador from Leo X. to Charles V.[*42] -Baldi describes him as not less distinguished by merit than blood, -and Castiglione assigns him a prominent place in the lively circle -whose amusements he depicts. He was no unsuccessful devotee of the -muses: a graceful canzonet by him is preserved in the Rime Scelte of -Atanagi, and he shares the credit of the eclogue of _Tirsis_ already -alluded to, and printed among the works of Castiglione. Recommended -by military talent, as well as by diplomatic dexterity and business -habits, he remained in the service of Duke Francesco Maria during his -early campaigns; and in September, 1512, after reducing Bologna to -obedience of the Pope, died there of an acute fever in the flower of -his age. - -[Footnote *42: SERASSI, in _Poesie volgari e latine del B.C. -aggiunti alcune Rime e Lettere di Cesare Gonzaga_ (Roma, 1760), gives -a full notice of his life, and CASTIGLIONE, in the Fourth -Book of the _Cortegiano_, speaks affectionately of him.] - - * * * * * - -The brothers OTTAVIANO and FEDERIGO FREGOSO were -of a Genoese family, who for above a century had distinguished -themselves in the military, naval, and civil service of their -country, and had given several doges to that republic. Their father, -Agostino Fregoso, had married Gentile, natural daughter of Duke -Federigo, and the young men were consequently much brought up at -the court of Urbino, where their sisters Margherita and Costanza -were long in attendance on Duchess Elisabetta. In 1502, Ottaviano -accompanied his uncle on his first return from Venice, and we have -seen him then defending S. Leo during a lengthened siege, sustained -with great gallantry and skill. For that good service he had from -the Duke the countship of Sta. Agatha in the Apennines, afterwards -confirmed to him by an honourable brief of Leo X., and continued to -his descendants, with the title of Vicar, until their extinction in -the third generation. - -The latter period of Ottaviano's life was actively passed in his -native city. From 1512 his endeavours were directed to abolish the -French domination maintained at that time by aid of the Adorni, -long hereditary rivals of his family. In this he finally succeeded, -and next year was elected doge, the only one, in Litta's opinion, -"who gloriously manifested a desire for the public weal." He held -that dignity during two years of tranquillity to his country, over -which the benign influence of his mild and impartial sway diffused a -temporary calm, long unknown to its factious inhabitants. So obvious -were these beneficial results, that Francis I., on becoming master -of Genoa in 1515, continued to him a delegated authority as its -governor. But, seven years later, the restless Adorni, having adhered -to the Emperor, aided the Marquis of Pescara to carry the city, -with an army of imperialists, who mercilessly sacked it. Ottaviano -remained a prisoner in the enemy's hands, and died soon after. He is -called in the _Cortegiano_ "a man the most singularly magnanimous -and religious of our day, full of goodness, genius, prudence, and -courtesy; a true friend to honour and virtue, and so worthy of praise -that even his enemies are constrained to extend it to him." The -revolution effected by Andrea Doria, in 1528, forcibly closed the -feuds of these rival families, which, during a century and a half, -had outraged public order, and, both being compelled to change their -name, the Fregosi adopted that of Fornaro. - - * * * * * - -FEDERIGO FREGOSO, the younger brother of Ottaviano, -born in 1480, was educated for holy orders under the eye of his -maternal uncle Guidobaldo. In the lettered society of Urbino he -perfected himself in various accomplishments, as well as in a -thorough knowledge of the world, which enabled him afterwards to -acquit himself usefully and creditably in many diversified spheres -of action. It was to the great satisfaction of that court that in -April, 1507, Julius II. conferred upon him the archbishopric of -Salerno, a benefice which the opposition of Ferdinand II., founded -on his leaning to French interests, apparently prevented him from -enjoying. His life of literary ease remained uninterrupted until -his brother's elevation as doge of Genoa in 1513, when he hastened -to support him by his counsels and influence. During the next nine -years he alternately commanded the army of the republic, led her -fleet against the Barbary pirates, whom he annihilated in their own -harbours, and represented her as ambassador at the papal court. -The revolution of 1522 compelled him to fly from his native city, -and, taking refuge in France, he received protection and preferment -from Francis I. He returned to Italy in 1529, and was appointed to -the see of Gubbio, where his piety, and devotion to the spiritual -and temporal welfare of his flock, were equally commendable, and -gained him the appellation of father of the poor and refuge of the -distressed. A posthumous imputation of heretical error cast upon his -name had no better foundation than the accident of his discourse -upon prayer happening to be reprinted along with a work of Luther, -which occasioned their being both consigned to the Index. In 1539 he -was made cardinal by Paul III., and died at Gubbio two years after. -His attainments in philology were eminent, including a profound -knowledge of Hebrew, with the study of which he is said to have -consoled his exile in France. Equal cultivation might have gained -him much fame as a poet, but the works he has left are chiefly of -a doctrinal character, and his eminence in the literary circle of -his day rests more upon the correspondence of Bembo, Sadoleto, and -Cortesio than upon his own writings.[*43] By the first of these, the -sparkle of his measured wit, the general moderation and suavity of -his manners, his gentle consideration for other men's habits, his -personal accomplishments, and the zeal displayed in his studies, -are all spoken of with warm admiration. The following letter of -sympathy, addressed to the dowager Duchess by that rhetorician is an -interesting though mannered tribute to his long friendship:-- - - "My most illustrious and worshipful Lady, - - "I had somewhat dried the tears elicited by the death - of our very reverend Monseigneur Fregoso, so suddenly - and inopportunely taken from us, when your Excellency's - autograph letters recalled them to my eyes, and still - more abundantly to my heart, on finding that you condoled - with me so sensibly, and with so much unction. Not only, - indeed, has your Ladyship been bereaved of a rare friend - and relative, a most wise and religious gentleman, but, - as you observe, all Christendom has thus sustained a loss - incomparably great in times so evil and convulsed. Of - myself I shall say little, having already written a few - days ago to your Excellency; and, knowing the affection - and respect mutually existing between you, I appreciate - the weight of your grief from my own. Nor can I doubt - that your Ladyship is aware of my emotion consequent upon - his long kindness towards me, and my respectful but warm - affection for him, sentiments never interrupted by a single - word on either side, from his early youth and my manly age - down to this day. I am further pained to observe that your - Ladyship, lamenting for long years your Lord's death of - happy memory, and now that of the Cardinal, entertains an - impression your life will be short. This is no fruit of - that good sense I have ever noticed in you, and which the - Cardinal himself inculcated; for the more your Ladyship - is left alone to promote the welfare and advantage of the - tender plants by your side, you should be more anxious to - live on; for, while life is given you, you may benefit - their souls by prayers and good deeds, as well as promote - the interests of many who look to your pious spirit for the - prosperity of their lot. Let not, therefore, your Ladyship - speak thus, but bless (_si conforti_) the Heavenly King - that he has so willed it, and conform yourself to his - infallible will and judgment. As to your observation that - I am left to you, in place of this good gentleman, as a - protector, father, and brother, be assured that the day - shall never come when it will not be my desire to dispose - of myself in all respects according to your Excellency's - pleasure, yielding therein not even to your [late] most - reverend brother. Your Ladyship will consider me as truly, - really, and justly your own, to use and dispose of me - unreservedly; and for this end I give, grant, and give over - to you full leave and power, not to be reclaimed by any - change of fortune so long as life remains to me. In return - I shall now pray you to attend to your health, and not only - to live on, but live as happily as you can, thus avenging - yourself of fate, which has done so much to vex you.... - From Rome, the 2nd of August, 1541." - -[Footnote *43: Cf. TIRABOSCHI, _Storia della Lett. Ital._ -(ed. Class. It.), vol. VIII., p. 3.] - - * * * * * - -PIETRO BEMBO[*44] was born at Venice in 1470, and had the -first rudiments of education at Florence, whither his father Bernardo -was sent as ambassador from the Signory. Having learned Greek at -Messina under Constantin Lascaris, and studied philosophy at Padua -and Ferrara, he devoted himself to literary pursuits. At the court -of the d'Este princes, where he was introduced by his father then -resident as envoy from Venice, he met with the consideration -due to his acquirements, and found a brilliant society, including -Sadoleto, the Strozzi, and Tibaldeo. There he was residing when the -arrival of Lucrezia Borgia threatened to establish for it a very -different character; but the dissolute beauty seems to have left -in the Vatican her abandoned tastes, and adopting those of her new -sovereignty she became distinguished as a patroness of letters. -The intimacy which sprang up between this princess and Bembo has -given rise to some controversy as to the purity of its platonism, a -discussion into which we need not enter. The life of the lady, the -writings of the Abbe, and the morals of their time combine to justify -suspicion, where proofs can hardly be looked for.[*45] - - "But if their solemn love were crime, - Pity the beauty and the sage,-- - Their crime was in their darkened age!" - -[Footnote *44: For a splendid account of Bembo, cf. GASPARY, -_Storia della Lett. Ital._ (Torino, 1891), vol. II., part II., pp. -60-7, and the _Appendice Bibliographica_ there, pp. 284-5.] - -[Footnote *45: This is altogether unfair, uncalled for, and untrue. -Dennistoun is not to be trusted where a Borgia is concerned; like -Sigismondo Malatesta they hurt the Urbino dukes too much.] - -[Illustration: _Anon. des._ _L. Ceroni sculp._ - -CARDINAL BEMBO - -_From a drawing once in the possession of Cavaliere Agricola in Rome_] - -Their correspondence lasted from 1503 to 1516, and many of his -letters are published.[*46] The prevailing tone of these is -rhetorical rather than passionate, and is quite as complimentary -to her virtues as to her beauty. The Ambrosian Library at Milan -possesses nine autograph epistles in Italian and Latin from Lucrezia, -addressed "to my dearest M. Pietro Bembo," with the dates supplied in -his hand. A tress of fair auburn hair, originally tied up with them, -and doubtless that of the Princess, is now shown in the adjoining -museum. That her tastes and accomplishments were not unworthy of such -a friendship appears from many dedications of works to her while -Duchess of Ferrara, including the Asolani of her admirer. - -[Footnote *46: Cf. MORSOLIN, _P. Bembo e Lucrezia Borgia_, -in the _Nuova Antologia_ (Roma, 1885), and BEMBO, _Opere_ -(Venice, 1729), vol. III., pp. 307-17; also CIAN, in _Giorn. -Stor. della Lett. Ital._, XXIX., 425.] - -In 1505 Bembo repaired to Urbino, and sojourned chiefly at that court -during the next six years, where his varied attainments were highly -prized, and where his philological pedantry was probably regarded -as ornamental. Besides enjoying the converse of many congenial -spirits, he there formed a friendship with Giuliano de' Medici, to -which he owed many subsequent honours. Accompanying him to Rome in -1512, he was recommended by him to his brother, the Cardinal, whose -first act on being chosen Pope in the following year, was to name -Bembo his secretary, jointly with his friend Sadoleto. For this -situation he was in many respects well fitted, by the happy union -of great learning with an extensive knowledge of men and manners, -which his residence at Ferrara and Urbino had not failed to impart. -The laxity of his morals, and the paganism of his ideas, were -unfortunately no disqualifications under Leo X. He continued to earn -his master's confidence in the discharge of his regular duties, as -well as in occasional diplomatic missions, but, as Roscoe truly -observes, his success as a negotiator did not equal his ability in -official correspondence. The pensions and benefices which rewarded -his services enriched him for life, and even before that Pontiff's -death he sought at Padua an elegant literary retirement, refusing -from Clement VII., and from the Signory of Venice, all offers of -public employment. He surrounded himself with a most select library, -including many invaluable manuscripts, and a precious collection -of medals and other antiquities, which, with the society of the -learned whom he attracted to his board, gave to his house a wide -celebrity. It was not regarded as at all degraded by the presence -of an avowed mistress at its head, with whom he openly lived for -many years, and had several children; and neither this scandal, -nor the gross indecency of some of his writings, prevented Paul -III. from conferring upon him a scarlet hat in 1539. He is said to -have accepted this dignity unwillingly, but having done so, he had -the good sense at all events to "cleanse the outside of the cup -and platter." His mistress was now dead; he laid aside poetry, -literature, and pagan idioms, and, devoting himself to theological -studies, at which he had formerly sneered in the habit of an abbe, -he entered holy orders at the mature age of sixty-nine. In 1541 he -succeeded Fregoso, his early companion at Urbino, in the bishopric -of Gubbio, to which was added that of Bergamo. How little these -preferments contributed to his comfort appears from a letter to -Veronica Gambara in December, 1543. "Often," he there says, "do I -desire to be the unfettered Bembo of other days, rather than as -I now am. But what better can one make of it? Man's existence, -abounding more in crosses than in gratifying incidents, will have it -so; and wiser he who least desponds and best puts up to necessity, -than one that less conforms to it. Yet I own myself unable to do -this amid these privations, and exiled in a manner from myself. -For verily I am neither at Venice nor Padua, as your Ladyship -supposes, but at my church of Gubbio, a very wild place to say the -truth, and offering few conveniences." He died at Rome six years -after, in his seventy-seventh year, and was buried in the church of -the Minerva, between his patrons Leo X. and Clement VII., where a -modest flag-stone is all the memorial that his natural son and heir, -Torquato, bestowed on one of the most famous men of his age. - - * * * * * - -At the town of Bibbiena, in the upper Val d'Arno, there were born -about 1470, of humble parentage, two brothers, whose business talents -procured them remarkable advancement. The elder, Pietro Dovizi, -became a secretary of Lorenzo de' Medici, into whose family he -introduced his brother BERNARDO. There this youth gained -for himself so good a reputation, that he was allowed to share the -instructions bestowed upon his patron's younger son Giovanni. A close -intimacy gradually sprang up between these fellow students, which -the similarity of their talents, their tastes, and their pursuits -ripened into lasting friendship. Identifying himself with the -Medici, he followed their fortunes into exile, and attended Giuliano -to Urbino, where he was received with the welcome there extended to -all who, like him, combined the scholar and the gentleman. But this -hospitality met with a very different return from these two guests. -Of Giuliano's generous forbearance to second the evil designs of his -brother, the Pope, against the state which had sheltered him, we have -lately spoken. When we come to narrate the usurpation of the duchy by -the Medici in 1516-17, we shall find in command of their invading army - - "That courteous Sir, who honours and adorns - Bibbiena, spreading far and high its fame," - -and who had adopted that town as a substitute for his own -undistinguished patronymic. This ingratitude was the more odious if, -as it was probable, he owed to Guidobaldo, or his nephew, the favour -of Julius II., who first brought him forward in the public service. - -At that Pontiff's death he was acting as secretary to his early -friend, the Cardinal de' Medici, and in that capacity was admitted -to the conclave. The intrigues which there effected his patron's -election have given rise to various anecdotes and controversies, -which we pass by with the single remark that, by all accounts, the -address of Dovizi was not unimportant to the success of Leo X. In -return, he was included in the first distribution of scarlet hats -as CARDINAL BIBBIENA. In this enlarged sphere his talents -and tastes had full room for exercise. He was selected for various -important diplomatic trusts, besides filling the offices of treasurer -and legate in the war of Urbino. With his now ample means, his -patronage of letters and arts had ample scope, and he was regarded -as the Maecenas of a court rivalling that of Augustus. Raffaele -enjoyed his particular regard, which he would willingly have proved -by bestowing on him the hand of his niece. - -His ambition is alleged to have exceeded even the rise of his -fortunes, and to have prompted him to contemplate, and possibly to -intrigue for, his own elevation to the chair of St. Peter, in the -event of a vacancy. His sudden death in 1520, soon after a residence -of above a year as legate to Francis I. (who had conferred upon him -the see of Constance), when coupled with such reports, was construed -as the effect of poison administered by Leo. Indeed, his friend, -Ludovico Canossa, observed that it was a received dogma among the -French at that very time that every man of station who died in Italy -was poisoned. But such vague conjectures, however specious under -Alexander VI., are less credible in other pontificates; and if the -Cardinal were poisoned, that practice was then by no means limited -to popes. He was an accomplished dilettante when the standards of -beauty were of pagan origin; and his intimacy with Raffaele dated -after the painter's Umbrian inspirations had faded before a gradual -homage to the "new manner." Like his friend Bembo, his morals were -epicurean to the full licence of a dissolute age. His famed comedy -of the _Calandra_,[*47] which was brought out at Urbino in 1508, -and which gave full play to his exquisite sense of the ridiculous, -justifies this charge, and all that we have so often to repeat of the -laxity then prevalent in the most refined Italian circles. A notice -of this, the only important production of his pen, and an account of -its being magnificently performed before Guidobaldo, will be found -in our twenty-fifth chapter. Those who regard the pontificate of Leo -X. as the classic period of Italian letters must feel grateful to -Cardinal Bibbiena for developing a portion of its lustre; the sterner -moralist, who brands its vices, will charge him with pandering -freely to the licence of a court of which he was a notable ornament. -Castiglione tells us that an acute and ready genius rendered him the -delight of all his acquaintance; and Baldi adds, that by practice -in the papal court he so improved that gift, that his tact in -business was unrivalled, to which his mild address, and happy talent -of seasoning the dullest topics with graceful pleasantry, greatly -contributed. - -[Footnote *47: For all concerning this play and its performance at -Urbino in 1513, see VERNARECCI, _Di Alcune Rappresentazioni -Drammatiche alla Corte d'Urbino nel 1513_ in _Archivio Storico per -le Marche e per l'Umbria_, vol. III., p. 181 _et seq._ The original -prologue, by Bibbiena, was only recently made known by DEL -LUNGO, _La Recitazione dei Menaechmi in Firenze e il doppio -prologo della Calandria_, in the _Arch. Stor. Ital._, series III., -vol. XXII., pp. 346-51. Machiavelli's estimate of Bibbiena will be -found in _Lettere Famil. di N. Machiavelli_, Firenze, 1883, p. 304, -"Bibbiena, hora cardinale, in verita ha gentile ingegno, ed e homo -faceto et discreto, et ha durato a' suoi di gran fatica."] - -His personal beauty obtained for him the adjunct of _bel_ Bernardo, -and he is represented in the _Cortegiano_ as saying, in reference to -the amount of good looks desirable for a gentleman, "Such grace and -beauty of feature are, I doubt not, mine, in consequence whereof, -as you know, so many women are in love with me; but I have some -misgivings as to my figure, especially these legs of mine, which, to -say the truth, don't seem to me quite what I should like, though I am -well enough satisfied with my bust, and all the rest." This, however, -having been introduced as a jest, may perhaps be understood rather as -complimentary to his person, than as a sarcasm on his vanity. - -A contemporary and unsparing pen thus sketches his qualities, in a -manuscript printed by Roscoe, from the Vatican archives:--"He was a -facetious character, with no mean powers of ridicule, and much tact -in promoting jocular conversation by his wit and well-timed jests. -He was a great favourite with certain cardinals, whose chief pursuit -was pleasure and the chase, for he thoroughly knew all their habits -and fancies, and was even aware of whatever vicious propensities they -had. He likewise possessed a singular pliancy for flattery, and for -obsequiously accommodating himself to their whims, stooping patiently -to be the butt of insulting and abusive jokes, and shrinking from -nothing which could render him acceptable to them. He also had much -readiness in council, and was perfectly able seasonably to qualify -his wit with wisdom, or to dissemble with singular cunning." Bembo, -with more partial pen, says in a letter to Federigo Fregoso, "The -days seem years until I see him, and enjoy the pleasing society, the -charming conversation, the wit, the jests, the features, and the -affection of that man." - - * * * * * - -Among the distinguished literary names which have issued from Arezzo, -several members of the ACCOLTI family were conspicuous in the fifteenth -and sixteenth centuries. BERNARDO,[*48] of whom we are now to speak, -had a father noted as a historian, a brother and a nephew who reached -the dignity of cardinal, and were remarkable in politics and letters. -He obtained from Leo X. the fief of Nepi, as well as various offices -of trust and emolument; of these, however, his wealth rendered him -independent, enabling him to indulge in a life of literary ease. His -poetical celebrity exceeded that of his contemporaries, and seems -to have been his chief recommendation at the court of Guidobaldo. -There, and at Rome, he was in the habit of reciting his verses in -public to vast audiences, composed of all that was brilliant in -these cultivated capitals. Nor was his popularity limited to a -lettered circle. When an exhibition was announced, the shops were -closed, the streets emptied, and guards restrained the crowds who -rushed to secure places among his audience. This extraordinary -enthusiasm appears the more unaccountable, when we find his printed -poetry characterised by a bald and stilted style, which leaves no -pleasing impression on the reader. The mystery seems explained by a -supposition that his talent lay in extemporary declamation. - -[Footnote *48: On the Unico Aretino Bernardo Accolti, see especially -D'ANCONA, _Studi sulla Lett. Ital. de' primi secoli_ (Ancona, 1884), -in the essay, _Del Seicentismo nella poesia cortigiana del Secolo XV._, -pp. 217-18. He professed an extraordinary devotion for the Duchess of -Urbino.] - -Instances are far from uncommon in Italy, of similar effects produced -by the _improvisatori_, whose torrent of melodious words, directed -to a popular theme, and accompanied by music and impassioned -gesticulation, hurries the feelings of a sympathising auditory to -bursts of tumultuous applause, whilst on cool perusal, the same -compositions fall utterly vapid on the reader. Be this as it may, -the success of Accolti had the common result of superficial powers, -and so egregiously inflated his vanity, that he assumed as his usual -designation "the unique Aretine," by which he is always accosted -in the _Cortegiano_. Nine years later we find him devoting to -Duchess Elisabetta attentions which were attributed to a passion -more powerful than gratitude, but which, knowing as he well did, -her immaculate modesty, could only have been prompted by despicable -vanity, and hence exposed him to keen ridicule. - - * * * * * - -To few of the pedigrees illustrated by Sansovino is there attributed -a more remote origin, or a brighter illustration, than to that of -CANOSSA.[*49] A younger son of the family was COUNT LUDOVICO, who, -being cousin-german of Castiglione's mother, was perhaps by this -means brought to Urbino, and thence recommended to Julius II., under -whose patronage he entered upon an ecclesiastical career. From Leo -X. he obtained the see of Tricarico, and was sent by him as nuncio -to England and France, a service which earned him promotion to the -bishopric of Bajus. Adrian VI. and Clement VII. continued him in this -post; and during a long residence at the French court, he entirely -gained the confidence and favour of Francis I. Many of his diplomatic -letters are printed in various collections; and to him is addressed -Count Baldassare's curious description of the performance of the -_Calandra_, at Urbino. - -[Footnote *49: For Canossa, cf. LUZIO E RENIER, _op. -cit._, p. 87, and especially ORTI-MANARA, _Intorno alla -vita ed alle gesta del Co. Lodovico di Canossa_ (Verona, 1845), and -CAVATTONI, _Lettere scelte di Mons. L. di Canossa_ (Verona, -1862).] - - * * * * * - -ALESSANDRO TRIVULZIO was nephew of Gian Giacomo, the -distinguished Milanese general of that name, and himself a famous -captain in the service of Florence, and of Francis I. Sigismondo -Riccardi, surnamed the Black, Gasparo Pallavicini, Pietro da -Napoli, and Roberto da Bari,--the last of whom died in the camp of -Duke Francesco Maria, in 1510,--are mentioned among the military -notorieties of the Feltrian court. Giovanni Cristoforo, the sculptor, -may be added to the list of its literary dilettanti; and among its -musical ornaments were Pietro Monti and Terpandro, with Niccolo -Frisio, a German, long resident in the land of song, whose exertions -were often in request by Monti and Barletta, both dancers of note. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - - Emilia Pia--The _Cortegiano_--Death of Duke Guidobaldo, - succeeded by Francesco Maria della Rovere. - - -Such were the eminent men, with whom Guidobaldo is described in the -_Cortegiano_ as living in easy but dignified familiarity, joining -their improving and amusing conversation, or admiring their dexterity -in exercises which his broken constitution no longer permitted him -to share. Thus passed the days in the palace; and, when the Duke was -constrained by his infirmities to seek early repose, the evenings -were spent in social amusements, over which the Duchess gracefully -presided, with her ladies Margherita and Costanza Fregoso, the Duke's -nieces, Margherita and Ippolita Gonzaga, the Signor Raffaella, and -Maria Emilia Pia. - -[Illustration: ELISABETTA GONZAGA, DUCHESS OF URBINO - -_From a lead medal by Adriano Fiorentino in the British Museum_] - -[Illustration: EMILIA PIA - -_From a medal by Adriano Fiorentino in the Vienna Museum_] - -Of the social position of Italian women in this century[*50] we -may gather many particulars from Ludovico Dolce's _Instituto delle -Donne_: for although, like most writers on similar themes, he -represents them "not as they are, but as they ought to be," still, -knowing the then received standard of female perfection, we can form -a pretty accurate estimate of their actual qualities. His views -as to education are exceedingly orthodox. The Holy Scriptures, -with the commentaries of the fathers, Ambrose, Augustin, and -Jerome, ought to be day and night before a girl, and suffice for -her religious and moral discipline. She should be familiar with her -own language and with Latin, but Greek is an unnecessary burden. -For mental occupation, Plato, Seneca, and such other philosophers -as supply sound moral training are excellent, as well as Cicero for -bright examples and wholesome counsels. History being the teacher -of life, all classical historians are commended, but the Latin -poets are vetoed as unfit for honest women, except most of Virgil -and a few selections from Horace. Many modern Latin writers are -commended, especially the _Christeida_ of Sannazaro and Vida, but -all such prurient productions in Italian as Boccaccio's novels are -to be shunned like venomous reptiles. On the other hand, the poetry -of Petrarch and Dante is extolled beyond measure, the former as -embodying with singular beauty an instance of the purest and most -honourable love, the latter as an admirable portraiture of all -Christian philosophy. Yet such literary occupations should never -intrude upon more important matters, such as prayer, nor upon the -domestic duties of married women. - -[Footnote *50: The books, pamphlets, poems, and stories, both -contemporary and subsequent, dealing with the position, beauty, -learning, dress, etc., of women would fill a library. I shall content -myself by naming a very few among them under a few headings for -the entertainment of the reader. The list of works I give is, of -course, in no sense a bibliography. The best source is _Castiglione_ -himself--for the sixteenth century and for court life, at any rate. -But the picture he paints, remarkable as it is, was by no means -altogether realistic, as a consultation with the following works will -show. I have included a few dealing with earlier times, and have only -quoted works with which I am familiar. - - -GENERAL LIFE. - -CECCHI, _La Donna e la famiglia Italiana del Secolo XIII. al -sec. XVI._, in _Nuova Antologia_ (new series), vol. XI., fasc. 19-20. - -FRATI, _La Donna Italiana secondo i piu recenti studi_ -(Torino, 1889). - -VARCONI, _La Donna Italiana descritta da Scrittrici Italiane -in una serie di Conferenze_ (Firenze, 1890). - -VELLUTI, _Cronica Domestica_ (Firenze, 1887). - -DAZZI, _Alcune lettere familiari del sec. XIV._ in -_Curiosita Letterarie_, fasc. XC. (Bologna, 1868). - -ANON., _Difesa delle Donne_ (Bologna, 1876). - -BIAGI, _La vita Italiana nel Rinascimento_ (Milano, 1897). - -BIAGI, _La vita privata dei Fiorentini_ (Milan, 1893). - -DEL LUNGO, _La Donna Fiorentina del buon tempo antico_ -(Firenze, 1906). - -GUASTI, _Lettere di una gentildonna Fiorentina del sec. XV._ -(Firenze, 1877). - -LIBORIO AZZOLINI, _La Compiuta Donzella di Firenze_ -(Palermo, 1902). - -ZDEKAUER, _La vita privata dei Senese_ (Conf. d. Com. Sen. -di St. Pat.), (Siena, 1897). - -CASANOVA, _La Donna Senese del Quattrocento nella vita -privata_ (Siena, 1895). - -FRATI, _La vita privata in Bologna_ (Bologna, 1900). - -BELGRANO, _La vita privata Genovese_ (Genoa, 1866). - -BRAGGIO, _La donna Genovese del sec. XV._, in _Giornale -Linguistico_, Ann. XII. (1885). - -MOLMENTI, _St. di Venezia nella Vita Privata_ (Torino, 1885). - -CECCHETTI, _La donna nel Medio Evo a Venezia_ in Arch. Ven. -Ann., XVI. (1886). - - -THEIR BEAUTY AND ADORNMENT. - -In Florence, Siena, and Venice certainly there were regulations of -the fashions; but not in Naples. - -FIRENZUOLA, The two discourses, _Delle bellezze delle donne_ -and _Della perfetta bellezza d'una donna_, in ed. Bianchi, _Le Opere_ -(Firenze, 1848). - -MORPURGO, _El costume de le donne con un capitolo de le -XXXIII. bellezze_ (Firenze, 1889). - -ZANELLI, in _Bolletino di St. Pistoiese_, vol. I., fasc. -II., p. 50 _et seq._ - -ARETINO, _Il Mareschaio_, atto ii., sc. 5, and _I -Ragionamenti_. - -CENNINO CENNINI, _Trattato della Pittura_, cap. clxi. -Warning against the general use of cosmetics. - -L.B. ALBERTI, _Opere Volgari_ (Firenze, 1849) (Del Governo -della Famiglia), vol. V., pp. 52, 75, 77. How a wife ought and ought -not to adorn herself. - -FRANCO SACCHETTI, _Novelle_, 99, 136, 137, 177. "Formerly -the women wore their bodices cut so open that they were uncovered to -beneath their armpits! Then with one jump, they wore their collars -up to their ears! And these are all outrageous fashions. I, the -writer, could recite as many more of the customs and fashions which -have changed in my days as would fill a book as large as this whole -volume," etc. etc., with a long description of the dress of the women -of his time. Consult all the novelists. - -DANTE, in _Il Paradiso_, XV. - -GIO. VILLANI, _Cronaca_, lib. X., caps. x., xi., and cl. - -MATT. VILLANI, _Cronaca_, lib. I., cap. iv. - -BOCCACCIO, _De Casibus virorum illustrium_, lib. I., cap. -xviii. He gives a list of the arts of the toilet of women. - -BIAGI, _Due corredi nuziali fiorentini_ (1320-1493). (Per -nozze Corazzini-Benzini, Firenze, 1899.) - -CARNESECCHI, _Donne e lusso a Firenze nel secolo XVI._ -(Firenze, 1903). - -ALLEGRETTO, in _Muratori R.I.S._, XXIII., col. 823. - -_Diario Ferrarese_, in _Muratori R.I.S._, XXIV., cols. 297, 320, 376 -_et seq._, speaks of the German fashions--"Che pareno buffoni tali -portatori." - -GENTILE SERMINI, _Le Novelle_ (Livorno, 1874), Nov. XXI. - -MARCHESINI, _Quello si convenga a una donna che abbia -marito_ (Firenze, 1890, per nozze). And _Dialogo della bella creanza -delle donne_ (Milano, 1862), pp. 30, 31. - - -ON WATERS FOR THE FACE, AND PERFUMES. - -FALLETTI FOSSATTI, _Costumi Senesi_ (Siena, 1882), p. 133 -_et seq._ - -PELISSIER, _Le Trousseau d'une Siennoise en 1450_, in _Boll. -Senese_, vol. VI., fasc. 1. - -SANSOVINO, _Venetia citta nobilissima e singolare_ (1663), -fol. 150 _et seq._ - -YRIARTE, _La vie d'un Patricien de Venise au 16me siecle_ -(Les femmes a Venise) (Paris, 1874), and see rare authorities there -quoted. In Venice, the prescribed bridal dress seems to have been -that of Titian's Flora--the hair fell free on the shoulders. The -_Proveditori alle Pompe_ were established in Venice in 1514. - -On the whole subject see, for earlier time, HEYWOOD, _The -Ensamples of Fra Filippo_ (Siena, 1901), cap. iii.; and for later -time, BURCKHARDT, _op. cit._, vol. II., part V., caps., ii., -iv., v., vii.] - -It is unnecessary to follow our author into abstract qualities and -common-place graces, but the emphasis with which certain things -are decried affords a fair presumption of their prevalence. Thus, -excessive luxury of dress, and, above all, painting the face and -tinging the hair, are attacked as impious attempts to improve upon -God's own handiwork. In like manner, the assiduity with which modesty -and purity of mind and person are inculcated confirms what we -otherwise know of the unbridled licentiousness then widely diffused -over society. Gaming of every sort is scouted; music and dancing are -set down as matters of indifference. - -In regard to marriage, the selection of a husband is left as matter -of course to the parents, since a girl is necessarily too ignorant -of the world to choose judiciously for herself; a reason resulting -from the education and social circumstances of young women in Italy, -which sufficiently accounts for this apparent solecism continuing in -the present day. A prolix exposition of the principles which ought to -guide fathers in their discharge of this delicate duty may be summed -up in the very pertinent remark, that few prudent damsels would -rather weep in brocaded silks than smile in homely stuffs. - -But it is time to return from this digression to the LADY -EMILIA PIA, who merits more special notice in a sketch of the -Montefeltrian court. She was sister of Giberto Pio, Lord of Carpi in -Lombardy, and wife of Antonio, natural brother of Duke Guidobaldo. -After losing her husband in the flower of youth, she remained at -Urbino, and became one of its prime ornaments, not only by her -personal attractions, but by a variety of more lasting qualities. -The part she sustains in the conversation of the _Cortegiano_ amply -evinces the charm which attached to her winning manners, as well as -the ready tact wherewith she played off an extent of knowledge and -graceful accomplishment rare even in that age of female genius. She -was at all times ready and willing to lead or second the learned -or sportive pastimes by which the gay circle gave zest to their -intercourse and polish to their wit, and thus was of infinite use to -the Duchess, whose acquirements were of a less sparkling quality, and -of whom she was the inseparable companion. Still more singular and -proportionately admired were the decorum that marked her conduct in -circumstances of singular difficulty and the virtue which maintained -a spotless reputation amid temptations and lapses regarded as venial -in the habits of a lax age. Her death occurred about 1530,[*51] -and an appropriate posthumous tribute was paid to such graces and -virtues in this medallion bearing her portrait, with the Latin motto, -"To her chaste ashes," on the reverse. Even the luscious verses in -which Bembo and Castiglione sang the seductions of the Feltrian -court assumed a loftier tone in their tribute to her heart of -adamant, which, "pious by name[52] and cruel by nature," and spurning -the designs of Venus upon its wild freedom, would impart its own -severity generally to the slaves of the goddess. Yet it was under the -guidance of this able mistress of the revels, that joy and merriment -supplanted rigorous etiquette in the palace of Urbino, where -frankness was restrained from excess by the Duchess' example, and -where all were free to promote the common entertainment as their wit -or fancy might suggest. Among the sports of these after-supper hours, -Castiglione enumerates questions and answers, playful arguments -seasoned with smart rejoinders, the invention of allegories and -devices, repartees, mottoes, and puns, varied by music and dancing. - -[Footnote *51: She died in 1528, not as Serassi, whom Dennistoun -follows, says, in 1530.] - -[Footnote 52: Her maiden surname, Pio, was habitually punned into -Pia.] - -[Illustration: _Alinari_ - -HAIR DRESSING IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY - -_After a picture by Bissolo_] - -Such was the mode of life described in the _Cortegiano_, with ample -details, which we shall attempt slightly to sketch. The scene is -laid in the evenings immediately succeeding the visit of Julius II. -The usual circle being assembled in her drawing-room, the Duchess -desired Lady Emilia to set some game a-going.[*53] She proposed -that every person in turn should name a new amusement, and that the -one most generally approved should be adopted.[54] This fancy was -sanctioned by her mistress, who delegated to her full authority to -enforce it upon all the gentlemen, but exempted the ladies from -competition. The courtiers so called upon thus acquitted themselves -of their task. Gaspar Pallavicino suggested that each should state -the peculiar excellence and special defect which he would prefer -finding in the lady of his love. Cesare Gonzaga, assuming that all -had some undeveloped tendency to folly, desired that every one should -state on what subject he would rather play the fool. Fra Serafino -sneeringly proposed that they should successively say why most women -hate rats and like snakes. The Unico Aretino, whose turn came next, -thought that the party might try one by one to guess at the occult -meaning of an ornament, in the form of an S, worn by the Duchess -on her forehead. The flattery with which this odd suggestion was -spiced, gave a clue to the Lady Emilia, who exclaimed that, none but -himself being competent, he ought to solve the mystery; on which, -after a pause of apparent abstraction, he recited a sonnet on that -conceit, giving an air of impromptu to what was, in fact, a studied -composition clumsily introduced. Ottaviano Fregoso wished to know on -what point each would be most willing to undergo a lover's quarrel. -Bembo, refining on this idea, was of opinion that the question ought -to be whether the cause of quarrel had best originate with oneself -or with one's sweetheart--whether it was most vexatious to give or -receive the offence. Federigo Fregoso, premising his conviction that -nowhere else in Italy were there found such excellent ingredients of -a court, from the sovereign downwards, proposed that one chosen from -the party should state the qualities and conditions required to form -A PERFECT COURTIER, it being allowed to the others to object -and redargue in the manner of a scholastic disputation. - -[Footnote *53: Cf. _Il Cortegiano_, lib. I., cap. vi.] - -[Footnote 54: DOLCE, in the _Instituto delle Donne_, -mentions a lady who, being asked to name some pastime at a party, -sent for a basin and towel, that all of her sex might wash their -faces, she being the only one present without paint.] - -This idea being approved by the Duchess and her deputy, the latter -called upon Count Ludovico Canossa to begin the theme. Its discussion -(our observations upon which must be reserved for a future portion -of these pages) is represented by Castiglione as having been -prolonged during successive evenings; Federigo Fregoso, Giuliano the -Magnificent, Cesare Gonzaga, Ottaviano Fregoso, and Pietro Bembo, -following the cue with which Canossa had opened. At the close of the -fourth sitting, an argument on love was interrupted by daylight. -"Throwing open the eastern windows of the palace, they saw the summit -of Monte Catri already tipped with rosy tints of the radiant Aurora, -and all the stars vanished except Venus, the mild pilot of the sky, -who steers along the limits of night and day. From these far-off -peaks there seemed to breathe a gentle breeze, that tempered the -air with bracing freshness, and, from the rustling groves of the -adjacent hills, began to awaken sweet notes of wandering birds." The -same golden sun continues to dawn upon Urbino, but, ere many months -had passed, the bright galaxy of satellites that circled round Duke -Guidobaldo was scattered, for their guiding star had gone to another -sphere. - - * * * * * - -During fifteen years his fine form and robust constitution had been -wasted by gout, for such was the name given to a disease hereditary -in his family. Physiologists may decide upon the accuracy of -this term, and say why, in an age of incessant exposure to severe -exercise under all weather, and when luxuries of the table were -little known or appreciated, the ravages of that malady should -have been more virulent than in our days of comparative indulgence -and effeminacy.[55] At first he struggled against the symptoms, -continuing his athletic sports; but in a few years he was reduced to -a gentle pace on horseback, or to a litter. At length, about the time -of which we are now speaking, his intervals of ease rarely extended -to a month, during which he was carried about in a chair; but, when -under a fit, was confined to bed in great agony. Yet, ever tended by -his wife, his fortitude never forsook him, and his mind, gathering -strength in the decay of nature, sought occupation in the converse -of those able men who made his palace their home, or, in the moments -of most acute suffering, fell back for distraction upon the vast -stores of his prodigious memory, whiling away long hours of agony by -repeating passages from his favourite authors. The palliations of -medicine lost their effects; his enfeebled frame became more and more -sensitive to acute pain; in his emaciated figure few could recognise -the manly beauty of his youthful person; life had prematurely become -to him an irksome burden. - -[Footnote 55: Sanuto strangely ascribes his death to _mal Francese_, -an example of the way in which that ill-understood scourge was then -assumed as the origin of many fatal maladies.] - -There occurred in Italy at this period a very unnatural change of -the seasons. On the 7th of April, 1505, snow fell at Urbino to the -depth of a foot, and scarcity prevailed, followed in June by a -murrain among cattle. From September, 1506, until January, 1508, -it is said that no rain or snow fell, except during a few days of -violent torrents in April. The fountains failed, the springs became -exhausted, the rivers dried up, grain was hand-ground for want of -water. The crops were scarcely worth reaping, the pastures were -scorched, and the fruitless vines shrivelled under an ardent sun.[56] - -[Footnote 56: - - "Una stagion fu gia, che si il terreno - Arse, che 'l sol di nuovo a Faetonte - De' suoi corsier parea aver dato il freno: - Secco ogni pozzo, secco era ogni fonte, - Gli stagni, i rivi, e i fiumi piu famosi, - Tutti passar si potean senza ponte." - - ARIOSTO, _Satira_ iii. - -*Cf. MADIAI, _Diario_, in _Arch. cit._, vol. _cit._, p. 455.] - -On the other hand, December was turned into July; the orchards -bore a second crop of apples, pears, plums, and mulberries, from -which were prepared substitutes for wine, then worth a ducat the -_soma_; strawberries and blackberries ripened in the wood-lands, -and luxuriant roses were distilled in vast quantities at Christmas. -With the new year things underwent a sudden revolution, and January -set in with unwonted rigour. The delicacy of the Duke's now reduced -frame rendered him peculiarly sensitive to the atmospheric phenomena. -The long drought had especially affected all gouty patients, and -the severe weather so aggravated his sufferings that, on the 1st -of February, he was, by his own desire, removed in a litter to -Fossombrone. That town is situated on the north side of the Metauro, -lying well to the sun, and little above the sea level, from which -it is distant about fifteen miles, and has thus the most genial -spring climate in the duchy. At first the change was in all respects -beneficial, and revived the hopes of an attached circle who had -accompanied the Duchess. But in April winter returned, and with it a -relapse into the worst symptoms, which soon carried him off. Although -his great sufferings were borne with extraordinary fortitude, he -looked forward to death as an enviable release; and when his last -hour approached, he regarded it with calm resignation. To his -chaplain he confessed, as one whose worldly account was closed; and -he acquitted himself of those testamentary duties to his church and -to the poor, which his creed considers saving works; directing at -the same time the disposal of his body. Then calling to his bedside -(where the Duchess and Amelia were in unwearied attendance) his -nephew the Lord Prefect, Castiglione, Ottaviano Fregoso, and other -dear friends, he addressed to them words of consolation. Their hopes -for his recovery he mildly reproved, adapting to himself the lines of -Virgil:-- - - "Me now Cocytus bounds with squalid reeds, - With muddy ditches, and with deadly weeds, - And baleful Styx encompasses around - With nine slow-circling streams the unhappy ground."[57] - -[Footnote 57: - - "Me circum limus niger et deformis arundo - Cocyti, tardaque palus, inamabilis unda, - Alligat, et novies Styx interfusa coercet." - - VIRG. _Georg._ iv. 478.] - -To the Duchess and to his nephew were chiefly addressed his parting -injunctions, the object of which was to recommend them to each -other's affection and confidence, to comfort them under their -approaching bereavement, and to counsel implicit obedience on the -part of Francesco Maria towards his uncle the Pope. It seems enough -to allude thus generally to his closing scene, for the accounts which -we have from Castiglione and Federigo Fregoso, one a spectator, the -other a dear friend, who quickly reached the spot, are unfortunately -disguised in Ciceronianisms, necessarily inappropriate to a Christian -death-bed, and in which the spirit of his words has probably -evaporated.[58] We may, however, trust that - - "They show - The calm decay of nature, when the mind - Retains its strength, and in the languid eye - Religious holy hope kindles a joy;" - -for we have seen him neither indifferent nor neglectful of the -observances dictated by his Church, and, ere the vital spark fled, he -received its rites and besought the prayers of the bystanders. His -passage from mortality was peaceful, and death, which he considered -desirable, spread like a gentle slumber over his stiffening limbs -and composed features. At midnight of the 11th of April his spirit -was released from its shattered tenement.[*59] Over the agonised -and uncontrolled lamentations of the Duchess we draw a veil; the -description of such scenes must ever degenerate into common-place -generalities. She felt and suffered as was natural to the best wives -prematurely severed from the most attached of husbands. - -[Footnote 58: What are we to make of the words of Fregoso (as -preserved by Bembo)--an archbishop who, in describing to the Pope his -uncle's death, mentions his partaking of the last sacraments from the -Bishop of Fossombrone, in these terms, "Quiquidem Deos illi superos -atque manes placavit"? Such idioms will not bear retranslation. The -expression employed by Castiglione, though tinged with the cold -formality of classicism, is less startling: "Ut ungeretur more sanctae -matris ecclesiae rogavit." But a pagan taint may often be sadly traced -upon the devotion of this age. In the first volume of Vaissieux's -_Archivio Storico d'Italia_, the last hours of a convict, condemned -at Florence in 1500, are thus narrated by an eye-witness:--Pietro -Paolo Boscoli, a political reformer of the school of Savonarola, -thirsted in his dying moments after the living waters of evangelical -truth, and sought some better solace than the cold formalities of -an ordinary _viaticum_. Refusing to be shriven by any but a friar -of St. Mark's, he adjured an attendant friend to aid in getting -Brutus out of his head, in order that he might make a Christian -end. Nor was this heterodoxy exclusively Italian. Cervantes, in a -recently recovered fragment, _El Buscapie_, says, "I dislike to see -the graceful and pious language befitting the Christian muse mingled -with the profane phraseology of heathenism. Who can be otherwise -than displeased to find the name of God, of the Holy Virgin, and -of the Prophets, in conjunction with those of Apollo and Daphne, -Pan and Syrinx, Jupiter and Europa, Vulcan, Cupid, Venus, and -Mars?"--_Bentley's Mag._, XXIV., p. 203.] - -[Footnote *59: He died, says the anonymous author of the _Diario_ -cited above (note *, p. 80), between the fourth and fifth hour of the -night, that is, between 10.30 and 11.30 p.m., and it was Tuesday. The -news came to Urbino on the 10th, so, according to the Anonimo, he -died on the 9th.] - -Since the Duke's departure to Fossombrone, his state had been -administered by the Duchess and Francesco Maria. The former, alive to -the duties committed to her, wrote thus to the priors of Urbino, when -the danger became imminent. - - "Worthy and well-beloved, - - "The illness of the most illustrious Duke our consort - having so increased that the physicians, though not - despairing, doubt of his recovery, we have thought fit, - by these presents, to exhort and charge you that you be - watchful and diligent in regard to whatever may occur, - so as to maintain the tranquillity of your citizens; who - having, in the recent unhappy times, ever maintained their - faith unshaken towards us and our said consort the Duke, we - desire that they shall, at the present juncture, persevere - in the like mind, whereby we may ascertain the worth of - those really deserving. At the same time, if, as we do - not believe, any riotous and ill-conducted persons should - attempt or plot any disorders, we have taken such steps - and means as must put down and chastise their insolence, - and leave them a signal example to others. And, as it is - necessary to provide against such a contingency, we desire - that you forthwith let this be understood in the most - fitting manner, it being our intention to maintain the - peace in this our well-beloved city. - - "From Fossombrone, 1508. - - "ELISABETTA GONZAGA, DUCISSA URBINI." - -Upon hearing from Ludovico Canossa that the Duke's illness approached -a fatal termination, Julius had, on the 13th, instructed Federigo -Fregoso to repair to Fossombrone with his own physician, Archangelo -of Siena, and, after administering such aid and consolation as the -case might require, to take fit measures for insuring the quiet -succession of Francesco Maria della Rovere in the dukedom, and for -the interim administration of affairs by the Duchess. But, ere they -arrived, mourning had succeeded to suspense, and their sympathies -were demanded for the widowed Duchess, who had passed two days -since her bereavement in utter despair, refusing food and sleep. So -entirely, indeed, were the functions of life suspended, that for some -time it was feared the vital spark had followed its better half, and -it was very long ere her ghastly and spectral form gradually resumed -the aspect of an existence in which all interest was for her gone -by, and which, but for the representations of her friends, she would -have wished to quit.[*60] - -[Footnote *60: Capilupi, whom Isabella d'Este had sent to Urbino, -describes in a long letter the mourning and grief he found there. -It is too long to quote. Cf. LUZIO and RENIER, _Mantova e Urbino_ -(Torino, 1893), p. 185.] - -The body was borne on shoulders to Urbino during the following night, -surrounded by multitudes carrying torches, their numbers swollen, as -they advanced, by influx of the country population through which the -funeral cortege passed. Castiglione, who accompanied it, describes -the night as one of mysterious dread, in which the wailing of the -people ever and anon was broken upon by piercing shrieks echoed -from the mountains, and repeated by the distant howling of alarmed -watch-dogs. The inhabitants of the capital issued forth to meet the -melancholy procession, headed by their clergy, the monastic orders, -and the confraternities. In the great hall of the palace the Duke -lay in state, during two days, upon a magnificent catafalque with -its usual but incongruous decorations of sable velvet, gold damask, -and blazing lights. His dress is minutely described by the anonymous -diarist as consisting of a doublet of black damask over crimson hose, -a black velvet hat over a skull-cap of black taffetas fringed with -gold, and black velvet slippers; to which was added the mantle of the -Garter, in dark Alexandrine velvet, with a hood of crimson velvet, -lined with white silk damask. - -[Illustration: _R. Tamme_ - -PORTRAIT OF A LADY IN MOURNING - -_After the picture by Pordenone in the Dresden Gallery_] - -But, with that strange blending of opposite feelings which marks -the visits of death to regal halls, the mourners were soon summoned -from this vision of departed greatness to contribute far other -honours to its living representative. One day having been devoted -to lament the general loss, the Lord Prefect, Francesco Maria, -repaired, with the principal authorities, to the cathedral, and, -after solemn mass, published the will, by which his uncle named him -heir and successor to his states and dignities, nominating his widow -to the regency during the nonage of his heir, and leaving her -Castel Durante, with a provision of 14,000 ducats, besides her own -dowry of 18,000. During the afternoon succeeding the proclamation of -Francesco Maria, he visited the Duchess, who was "transfixed with -grief." He was accompanied by a small deputation of citizens, to -offer their duty and condolence, and receive her tearful thanks for -the happy accomplishment of her husband's testamentary intentions, -with entreaties that they would transfer to his successor the loyal -affection they had borne to their late sovereign. About four o'clock -a funeral service was performed in the great hall, from whence, -at eight, the body was conducted by an again mournful host, to -remain for the night in the church of Sta. Chiara. Next day it was -transported, during continual rain, to the Zoccolantine church, in -the groves around which he had been surprised by the first aggression -of Cesare Borgia. In its small nave his remains were entombed -opposite those of his father; and over both there were subsequently -placed two modest monuments in black and white marble, surmounted by -busts of the Dukes. The inscription to Guidobaldo is to this effect: -"To Guidobaldo, son of Federigo, third Duke of Urbino, who, emulating -even in minority his father's fame, maintained his authority with -manly energy and success. In youth he triumphed over adverse fortune. -Vigorous in mind, although enfeebled by disease, he cultivated -letters instead of arms; he protected men of general eminence instead -of mere military adventurers; and he ameliorated the commonwealth by -the arts of peace, until his court became a model to all others. He -died in the year of God MDVIII., of his age XXXVI." - -The solemn obsequies befitting sovereign personages, including six -hundred masses, were performed on the 2nd of May in the cathedral, -which was hung and carpeted with black, and illuminated with five -hundred wax-lights. In the nave was an immense cenotaph, decorated -with representations of the most important events of the Duke's -life, his standards and insignia, with suitable legends, and on -the bier, in place of the body, lay his robes of the Garter. The -function was attended by the court, five bishops, the clerical -dignitaries, with deputies from all parts of the duchy, and most of -the Italian states, as well as the principal inhabitants. Before the -elevation of the host, a funeral oration was recited by his former -preceptor Odasio, in which the wonted wordiness of such compositions -is redeemed by a certain fire of eloquence, mellowed by occasional -touches of fine sentiment, rendering it the best part of Bembo's -compilation regarding Guidobaldo. Its excellence, and the vast -concourse of spectators, estimated at ten thousand, contributed to -make this the most notable ceremony of the sort then remembered in -Italy. On the following day, the oaths of allegiance to the new Duke -were taken, and his predecessor was consigned over to history. - - * * * * * - -The character of the last Montefeltrian Duke need scarcely be told -to those who have followed this sketch of his life. Gifted by nature -with talents of a very high order, he cultivated them in early youth -with an application rare indeed in his exalted rank, and a success -which his marvellous memory tended alike to facilitate and to render -permanent. In times singularly productive of military heroes and -men of letters, he emulated the celebrity of both, and, had health -permitted him a prolonged and active career, he might, in the -ever-recurring battle-fields of Italy, have equalled the renown left -by his father and earned by his successor. - -When disabled from the profession of arms, he fell back with fresh -zest upon his youthful studies, and drew around him men whose -converse harmonised with these tastes. To say that his learning -was unequalled among the princes of his day is no mean compliment. -His palace became the asylum of letters and arts, over which he -gracefully presided. Aldus Manutius, in dedicating to him editions -of Thucydides and Xenophon, addressed him in Greek, of which he was -so perfect a master as to converse in it with ease. To the latter of -these historians the Duke was very partial, calling him the siren of -Attica. Among his other favourite classics, Castiglione names Lucian, -Demosthenes, and Plutarch; Livy, Tacitus, Quintus Curtius, Pliny, -and the Orations of Cicero. Most of these he knew intimately, and -recited entire passages without reference to the book. But besides -these selected authors, he is said to have made himself acquainted -with almost every branch of human knowledge then explored. Nor were -religious studies omitted. The history, rites, and dogmas of the -Church are mentioned among the topics familiar to his versatile -genius; St. Chrysostom and St. Basil were among his chosen books. To -enumerate all the contemporary authors who shared his patronage might -be irksome, but we shall introduce one letter addressed by him to -Paolo Cortesio. - - "Most reverend and well-beloved Father in Christ: - - "I have received your letter, with your Treatise on - the dignity of Cardinal, which, being full of noble - matter gracefully and eloquently handled, has been most - acceptable, and I have looked over it with much pleasure. I - therefore offer you my best thanks for it, and for having - mentioned me in that work; and if I can do anything for - you, let me know it, that I may have an opportunity of - showing my gratitude for your merits and your services in - my behalf. In October next I mean, God willing, to return - to Rome, and I shall hold myself prompt to forward your - interests there, or wherever else I may chance to be. - Urbino, 18th of June, 1506. - - "GUIDO UBALDO, DUKE OF URBINO, and Captain-General - of the Holy Roman Church."[61] - -[Footnote 61: Bibl. Magliab. Class. viii., No. 68, p. 132.] - -The great endowments he thus admirably developed were united -with a disposition represented as nearly perfect, at all events -as exempted from the failings most perilous to princes. The bad -passions which opportunity and indulgence have, in all ages, -rendered peculiarly fatal to those whose will is law, were almost -strangers to his breast. Prone to no vicious indulgences, he was -ever kind and considerate, as well as just and clement. He may, in -short, be regarded as that rarest of all characters, an unselfish -despot,--despot as regarded the possession of absolute power, but not -so in its use. The nobility had nothing to dread from his jealousy -or his licentiousness; the citizens were spared oppressive imposts; -the poor looked up to him as a sympathising protector. In short, we -may pronounce him a magnanimous, a most accomplished, and, so far as -erring man is permitted to judge, a blameless prince. - -Nor was the impression left upon the public mind by the glories of -Urbino under Guidobaldo of a transient character. Mocenigo, Venetian -envoy at the court of his grand-nephew, thus speaks of him above -sixty years after his death:--"Disabled by broken health from active -pursuits, he fell upon the project of forming a most brilliant court, -filled with eminent men of every profession; and by rendering himself -generally popular, with the co-operation of his Duchess, who emulated -him in welcoming and entertaining persons of talent, he brought -around him a greater number of fine spirits than any sovereign had -hitherto been able to attract, and, indeed, gave to all other princes -in the world the model and example of an admirably regulated court." - -[Illustration: _Alinari_ - -S. MARTIN AND S. THOMAS WITH GUIDOBALDO, DUKE OF URBINO, AND BISHOP -ARRIVABENI - -_After the picture by Timoteo Viti in the Duomo of Urbino_] - - * * * * * - -The remaining years of the widowed Duchess were in strict -accordance with a picture sketched of her by Bernardo Tasso, in the -_Amadigi_:-- - - "She too, whose pensive aspect speaks a heart - By grievous cares molested and surcharged, - An anxious lot shall live; Elizabeth, - Of maiden worth, in whom no blandishment - Or foolish passion ere with virtue strives; - Spouse of our first Duke's son, whose span cut short - By cruel death, his scornful mate bereft - No after tie shall bind." - -The circumstances of her wedded life had not been such as to render -new ties distasteful to a lady of thirty-seven, described by Bembo as -still elegant in figure and dress, beautifully regular in features, -and with eyes and countenance of singularly winning expression. The -compliment paid to her character, in that author's sketch of the -Urbino sovereigns, bears upon it a stamp of truthful earnestness -rarely found in his rhetorical periods.[62] - -[Footnote 62: "Itaque multas saepe feminas vidi, audivi etiam esse -plures, quae certarum omnino virtutum, optimarum quidem illarum atque -clarissimarum, sed tamen perpaucarum splendore illustrarentur: in -qua vero omnes collectae conjunctaeque virtutes conspicerentur, haec -una extitit, cujus omnino parem atque similem aut etiam inferiorem -paulo, non modo non vidi ullam, sed ea ubi esset etiam ne audivi -quidem."--Bembo de Guidobaldo.] - -An anonymous and now lost complimentary poem, written about 1512, -and formerly in the library of S. Salvadore at Bologna, celebrated -Elisabetta's charitable aid in the establishment of a _monte di -pieta_,[63] at Fabriano, and alluded to her prudent government of -the state in the Duke's absence. The terms of affection with which -she regarded her husband's adopted heir underwent no change after -her bereavement; and his marriage to her niece Leonora Gonzaga -strengthened the tie. We shall find her making great personal -exertions to modify the measures of Leo X. against Francesco Maria; -and she shared his confiscation and exile, which she could not -avert. She lived, however, to return with him to the house she had -twice been compelled to relinquish, and saw his dynasty securely -established in the state which had owned her as its mistress. - -[Footnote 63: The Italian name for those public establishments, -at which small sums are lent on pledges under government -superintendence. The Duchess is said to have introduced them -at Urbino, and to have founded there an academy, which rose to -considerable celebrity among similar weeds of literature that long -flourished and still vegetate in Italy.] - -Her trials were closed on the 28th of January, 1526, by an easy -death. She left the residue of her property to Duchess Leonora, after -payment of numerous pious bequests to various churches, with liberal -legacies to her household; and she was interred by the side of her -beloved husband in the church of S. Bernardino. - - - - -BOOK FOURTH - - OF LITERATURE AND ART UNDER THE - DUKES DI MONTEFELTRO AT URBINO - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - - The revival of letters in Italy--Influence of the - princes--Classical tastes tending to pedantry and - paganism--Greek philosophy and its effects--Influence of - the Dukes of Urbino. - - -When writing upon Italy of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, -a prominent place must be allotted to letters and arts. At Urbino -in particular, their progress was then great, their influence -proverbial; and our next eight chapters will contain notices of them -which would have interrupted the continuity of our previous narrative. - -The reigns of Dukes Federigo and Guidobaldo I. extended over a -period which general consent has regarded as the most brilliant in -Italian history, and which we have repeatedly named its golden age. -High expectations are naturally entertained of literature, arts, -and general refinement in a cycle of such pretension. We look for -a rapid advance of thought in paths of learning and science whence -during long centuries it had been excluded. We anticipate a widely -disseminated zeal for classic writers, an eager rivalry to outstrip -them in branches of speculative knowledge, which they especially -cultivated. We imagine the imitative arts revived under the influence -of new and more exquisite standards. And we reckon upon the diffusion -of a taste and capacity for enjoying those things among classes -hitherto excluded from such intellectual enjoyments. In each of these -expectations the student of literary history will be gratified; yet -there are several sorts of composition which, if separately examined, -offer disappointing results, and scarcely a single work written -during the fifteenth century has maintained universal popularity. The -explanation is easy. This age was one of unprecedented intellectual -activity, when men's minds were devoted to the acquisition of -knowledge which they had laboriously to hunt out, and doubtingly to -decipher. They had to cut for themselves tracks through an unexplored -region, without grammars or commentaries to serve them as guides and -landmarks. The toilsome habits thus formed were forthwith exercised -for the benefit of subsequent investigators, and were applied to -smoothing the path which they had themselves penetrated. Thus -was it that the first successful scholars became grammarians and -commentators. Surrounded by ample stores of intelligence, they had -no occasion to cultivate new germs of thought. Their first object -was to secure and render accessible the treasures which antiquity -had unfolded to them; their next, to elaborate them in varied forms, -to reproduce them in the manner most congenial to their intellectual -wants. Thus they became more industrious than original, laborious -rather than creative. Again, those who, on entering the garden of -knowledge, thought of its fruits rather than of its approaches, -instead of seeking the reward of their toils among the fair mazes of -poetry and belles lettres, aimed at more arduous rewards, and climbed -the loftiest and most slippery branches in search of golden apples. -The harvest of scholastic philosophy which they thus gathered in -may seem scarcely worthy of the fatigues given to its acquisition; -but from the seeds so obtained, cultivated and matured as they have -been by many after labourers, a copious and healthful store of -intellectual food has been secured for subsequent generations. The -work performed by these pioneers of learning and truth was, however, -more calculated to crush than to inspire that more elastic fancy -which preferred the flowery mead to the tree of knowledge. The spirit -of the age was ponderous and prosaic, and the few who attempted to -rise above its denser atmosphere into poetic regions were clogged by -the trammels of a dead language, and by obsolete associations which -they dared not shake off. The fifteenth century was consequently rich -in scholars, copious in pedants, but poor in genius, and barren of -strong thinkers. - -These circumstances necessarily detract from the popular interest of -Italian literary history at this important period, all influential -to its after destinies, and we mention them in the conviction that -general readers must feel disappointed with this portion of our -work. The vast mass of materials then created now reposes in the -principal storehouses of learning, much of it unpublished, and but -a small part rendered accessible in recent editions. As it would -be an unprofitable task to labour upon these materials for merely -critical purposes, we have for the most part satisfied ourselves with -an examination of the authors immediately connected with Urbino; nor -shall we be tempted much beyond that narrow limit, by the facility -of borrowing from those copious and intelligent writers who have -successfully investigated the intellectual progress of Italy. - -The revival of civilisation, and its handmaid arts, is a problem -so inexplicable on the ordinary principles which regulate human -progress,[64]--its causes were so complex, and many of them so -remote, and singly so little striking,--that it were, perhaps, -vain to hope for a satisfactory explanation of the phenomenon. It -may be, that the ever revolving cycle of human affairs had brought -round a period predestined to intellectual development, or that mind, -awakening from the slumber of centuries, possessed the energies of -renewed youth. But in a season of universal and sudden progress it is -difficult to distinguish between cause and effect,--to decide whether -mind aroused liberty, or if freedom was the nurse of intelligence. - -[Footnote *64: The secret is not far to seek, but it was inexplicably -hidden from men in Dennistoun's day. The continuity of life and -of art the most sensitive expression of life, is understood and -acknowledged by too few among us; but that there is an historical -continuity in art as in life would be easy to prove, since no part -can be adequately grasped or explained save in relation to the whole. -Of course, as Renan admitted, history has its sad days, but all -are, as it were, a part of the year which would be incomplete and -inexplicable without them. Thus there is no gulf fixed between the -art of Greece and the art of the Middle Age or the Renaissance; each -is an inevitable part of the whole, and the later was what it was -because of the old. Burckhardt, one of the greatest students of our -time, seems to have understood this also with his usual happiness. -M. Auguste Gerard tells us in his notice of the life of its author, -which serves as a Preface to the French edition of _Le Cicerone_, -that "Burckhardt en vrai disciple de la Renaissance considerait -l'Italie comme un tout continu; et dans l'histoire de l'art de meme -que dans l'enumeration des oeuvres, il ne separait pas l'Italie -antique de l'Italie moderne. La section du _Cicerone_ qui etait -dediee a l'architecture commencait aux temples de Paestum pour -finir aux villas Napolitaines et Genoises des XVIIe et XVIIIe -siecles." In that idea lies the future of all criticism.] - -The feeble hold which the popes retained over their temporal -power during their residence at Avignon, and during the great -schism, promoted the independence of the ecclesiastical cities, -many of which then passed under the dominion of domestic tyrants, -or assumed the privileges of self-government. In either case the -result was favourable to an expansion of the human mind. The sway -of the seigneurs, being based on no such aristocratic machinery -as supported the fabric of feudalism, threw fewer obstructions in -the way of individual merit. The popular communities could only -exist by a diffusion of political and legislative capacity, and -the commercial enterprises to which they in general devoted their -energies increased at once the demand for public spirit and its -production. Even those intestine revolutions to which democracies -were especially subject contributed largely to the same end; for, -although in such convulsions the dregs of the populace often rise to -the surface, talent, when backed by energy and daring, there finds -extraordinary opportunities for display. Indeed, the multiplication -of commonwealths, under whatever form of government, tended, in -a country situated as the Italian Peninsula then was, to the -development of intellect. Defended by the Alps and the sea from -invasion, their physical and intellectual advantages constituted -an influence which supplied the want of union and nationality. They -thus could safely pursue their individual aims, and even indulge -in rivalry and contests which, though perilous to a less favoured -people, were for them incentives to a praiseworthy and patriotic -exertion. Whilst the separate existence of these petty states was -calculated to promote both political science and mental culture, it -rendered the one subservient to the advantage of the other, and, in -the multitude of official and diplomatic employments, literary men -found at once useful occupation and honourable independence. Nor was -this result limited to one form of government. If the tempest-tossed -democracy of Florence shone the brightest star in the Italian galaxy, -the stern oligarchy of Venice shed an almost equal lustre in some -branches of letters and art; and, on the other hand, the not less -popular institutions of Pisa, Siena, and Lucca emitted but feeble -and irregular coruscations. So also in the despotic states, whilst -literature was ever cherished under the ducal dynasty of Urbino, and -whilst it was favoured at intervals by the Sforza and Malatesta, -the d'Este and Gonzaga, and by the Aragonese sovereigns of Naples, -its genial influence was unknown in some other petty courts. Again, -if we turn to the papal throne, we shall find the accomplished -Nicolas, Pius, Sixtus, Julius, and Leo, sitting alternately with the -Boeotian Calixtus, Paul, Innocent, and Alexander. From an impartial -review of Italian mediaeval history it appears that democratic -institutions were by no means indispensable to the expansion of -genius, since the progress of letters and arts was upon the whole -nearly equal in the republics and the seigneuries, under the tyranny -of a condottiere or the domination of a faction.[*65] - -[Footnote *65: Far from being indispensable, the democratic -institutions had very little to do with the progress of the arts -which were fostered by individuals, whether in a tyranny such as -Urbino or in a so-called republic such as Florence.] - -But, before entering upon the proper subject of this chapter, it may -be well briefly to consider the influence which the petty princes -of Italy exercised upon the revival and cultivation of letters and -arts. The dominion of these chiefs, though hereditary in name, was in -general maintained, as it had been gained, by the sword. To them, as -to the savage, arms were an instinctive pursuit, warfare a primary -occupation. For their frequent intervals of truce (and in no other -sense was peace known to them), their circumscribed sovereignty -gave little occupation. Domestic polity was still an undeveloped -science, and their leisure fell to be spent upon intellectual -objects, or in grovelling debaucheries. The number who preferred -the nobler alternative is very remarkable, when compared with the -like class in other parts of Europe. During the fourteenth and -fifteenth centuries literature was cultivated and art was encouraged -by a large proportion of the sovereigns and feudatories of Italy, -when the bravest condottieri were often their most liberal patrons. -Such were the impetuous Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, the gallant -Francesco Sforza, the treacherous Ludovico il Moro; whilst the -Gonzaga of Mantua, and the d'Este of Ferrara, but most especially -the ducal houses of Urbino, extended, during successive generations, -an enlightened and almost regal protection to genius of every -shade. Nothing akin to this is to be found in the republics. Siena, -Pisa, and Lucca produced many great artists, but literature found -in them neither a cradle nor an asylum. The commercial communities -of Venice and Genoa belonged to an entirely different category of -circumstances; and Florence, though an exception to our remark, owed -its pre-eminence not less perhaps to the patronage of the Medici than -to an unparalleled prevalence of talent and public spirit among its -citizens. - -In times when the popular will, if not the source of power, was -its best support, it became the interest of the dominant prince -or party so to use authority as to please and flatter the masses; -to cloak their own usurpations by throwing a lustre around their -administration, and to preserve the confidence of their subjects by -institutions calculated to promote the national glory. In this way -individual talent might be stimulated, and public civilisation might -advance, even whilst freedom was on the decline; and, as the means -commanded by the seigneurs were ample, they could patronise genius, -and surround their courts with literary retainers, who in democratic -communities were left to their own resources. Thus the Sforza and the -d'Este, even the savage Malatesta of Rimini, befriended genius, which -found no haven in the republics of Genoa and Lucca, and, the fashion -having once been established among their princely houses, letters -were cultivated by not a few of these soldiers of fortune, but more -especially by the ladies of their families. - -These unquestionable facts are met by an allegation that the -fountains of princely patronage were so tainted, their streams so -generally corrupt, as to blight the fruits which they seemed to -foster, and that their influence thus from a blessing became a curse. -Let us examine a little the grounds for this assertion, for surely it -is not by such sweeping and prejudiced denunciations that we shall -arrive at truth. As to the ornamental arts, there cannot be a doubt -that these received, throughout Italy, from governments of every -form, as well as from numberless corporations and individuals, a -hearty encouragement which might well shame our degenerate age. Yet -the ducal palace at Urbino, the Palazzo del T at Mantua, the tombs -of the Scaligers, and the medallions of Malatesta, yield the palm to -no republican works of the same class. It was by Cosimo and Lorenzo -de' Medici, and by Duke Federigo di Montefeltro, that the undeveloped -energies of new-born science, and the long neglected classics of -Greece and Rome were nursed and tended through their years of -infancy, which storms of faction, in most of the free states, -condemned to neglect. The enlightened liberality of these princes, -and of Malatesta Novello, founded libraries for the preservation of -works composed under their own beneficent encouragement, as well -as of manuscripts collected by them from all quarters at immense -cost, and this when no republic but Venice aspired to such literary -distinctions. Nor were the troubled waters of democratic strife -safe for the poet's gay bark and light canvas. Even Dante, though -made of sternest stuff, sought shelter in a courtly harbour from -the hurricanes of Florentine faction. It is true that, in many -compositions of minstrels trained in princely halls, the themes -are ephemeral and the epithets overstrained, savouring, to a purer -taste and more severe idiom, of unworthy subserviency; nor is the -other polite literature, emanating from the same atmosphere, exempt -from similar blemishes. But allowance must be made for the seducing -fecundity of the language in superlatives, more redolent of dulcet -sounds than of definite signification, a quality which has ever -tempted Italian mediocrity to assume the borrowed plumes of poesy, -and to conceal its native barrenness under magniloquent but flimsy -common-places. The well earned gratitude of authors is fittingly paid -in compliments, eulogies, or dedications, and as such coin is at the -unlimited command of the debtor, and useful only to the receiver, its -over-issue is fairly excusable. This results from principles inherent -in human nature, and it matters little whether the obligations have -been incurred from sovereigns or from subjects, under an autocrat or -a democracy. Even among ourselves, in times when talent had more to -hope from private patronage than from extended popularity, a similar -currency was scarcely less in vogue, and it was only the poverty of -our idiom that kept its circulation within bounds. Hence, were the -independence of the best English writers of a century or two ago to -be estimated from their dedicatory addresses, or their occasional -odes, a condemnation as unreasonable as sweeping would go forth -against names long inscribed in our temple of fame. This argument -might easily be extended; but enough has been said to show that -more was done for the support of letters under princely than under -popular institutions, and that the adulatory epithets natural to the -language, and inherent in the usages of Italy, are no certain index -of base subserviency. - -But, on the other hand, independent sovereignty, irrespective of -political forms, was of primary importance to the encouragement -of mental cultivation. The separation of Italy into a multitude -of petty states converted almost every town into a capital, which -its rulers and its citizens took equal pride in decorating. The -patriotism thus generated was intense in proportion to the narrow -field on which it was exercised, and an expenditure, restrained by -severe sumptuary restrictions, found scope on monuments honourable -to the public. Thus there ensued, between hostile communities and -emulous factions, a rivalry in arts as in arms, whereby public -institutions prospered, and individual genius was encouraged. Fanes, -whose glories seem to defy the waste of time, were thus raised for -the devotional requirements of the people; palaces grew up the -bulwark of their liberties; citadels were fortified to rivet their -chains; and even when the ultimate results were fatal to freedom, -the talent and activity thus stimulated were sure to eventuate in -industrial progress, as well as in the restoration of letters and the -improvement of art. - - * * * * * - -The human mind, when aroused from its long and leaden slumbers, at -first instinctively leaned for support upon such vestiges of ancient -learning as had survived the wreck of ages. To excavate and examine -these was the laborious task assumed by early students, in which -Petrarch and Boccaccio sedulously joined. But, justly appreciating -them as materials on which to found a new fabric, rather than as -the substitutes for original thought, "the all-Etruscan three" -happily combined enthusiasm for classic models with the power to -rival them in a language simultaneously matured by themselves for -the daring undertaking. The fifteenth century arrived; it was an -epoch of reaction; one of other tendencies and tastes, when genius, -as Ginguene has happily observed, was superseded by erudition. -Entering the path which Petrarch had partially explored, its -pioneers neglected the better portion of his example. They spent -their energies in rummaging obscure recesses of monastic libraries, -and wasted time and learning in transcribing, collating, and -annotating the various manuscripts which thus fell within their -grasp. In exhuming and renovating these monuments of a long-buried -literature, they were forgetful of the fact that their dealings were -with dead corpses; and whilst submitting the recovered fragments to -philological analysis, they perversely sought to embody their own -souls in these decayed members. As such materials were incapable -of being reanimated, or even remodelled into more apt forms, -this unnatural union was seldom effected without violence to the -sentiment. Even the ablest writers devoted themselves to the arid -task of scholia and translations, composing in the dead tongues -such original works as they attempted. The result was a monstrous -metempsychosis, whereby thought, enchained in uncongenial bodies, -lost its due influence, and appeared in, at best, an unseemly -masquerade. Hence the language of the century was Latin, its manner -pedantic, its spirit coldly artificial. - -But whilst the historian of that age laments the shackles thus -imposed upon its literature, it were unjust to withhold from it -the merit of preserving those treasures of ancient history and -philosophy, eloquence and poetry, which, under happier auspices and -more judicious treatment, have elevated thought, enlarged intellect, -and enriched the style of later times. Although unable to refine -the true metal from its dross, the pedants of "fourteen hundred" -were miners who discovered the precious ore, and ascertained its -component ingredients. The fashionable ardour for collecting early -MSS. of ancient authors was very generally accompanied with untiring -perseverance in mastering their intricacies. Philology and grammar -thus grew into sciences, and their professors held the keys of human -erudition. Deep ought to be our gratitude for the contingent of -classical literature rescued from a rapid destruction by such arduous -and self-denying labours; and a history of these discoveries, and -of the zeal and enterprise volunteered by the early commentators -and publishers of the ancient authors, would form an interesting -monument of undaunted and generally successful diligence. Yet, -in a comprehensive view of the results springing from these new -tendencies, it is impossible to blind ourselves to the evils that -emanated from them. From the nerve, grandeur, and elegance of Greek -and Roman writers, there was much to learn with advantage; but their -influence was directly antagonist to the highest sentiments of a -Christian, and, in the main, a devotional people. When tried by such -a test, their philosophy was hollow, their heroism selfish, their -refinement corrupted. Nor was it only by reproducing the themes and -the philosophy of distant ages that classicism clogged the elasticity -of reviving literature. By inculcating extinct languages as the -only means fitted for expressing their ideas, Italian literati -checked the progress of their vernacular tongue,--that best bulwark -of nationality,--and at the same time impeded the free expansion -of thought, which, thus conducted into artificial channels, could -but stagnate or freeze. The mind, habituated to find in literature -a restraint, came to regard natural feeling as a solecism, living -images as incongruous anomalies, warmth of sentiment as a blemish -sedulously to be avoided. Under such false training, knowledge -received the impress of a languid conventionality; and even those who -condescended to write in Italian, chilled their compositions with -the pedantry of antique idioms. The classic style thus introduced -had many inherent defects. Borrowed plumage is seldom becoming, and -servile imitations are always bad. Besides, the ancient type had been -originally modelled by a people, and in an age, little sympathetic -with those for whom it was now reproduced, and whose sentiments were -cramped equally by the conventionalisms of an obsolete manner, or -by the adoption of a dead tongue. Hence is it that the fifteenth -century, so signalised by the diffusion of knowledge, and the advance -of the fine arts, has bequeathed to us fewer eminent writers than -those which immediately preceded and followed it, and that during its -course Italian literature was unquestionably retrograde. - -This is especially true of poetry, in an age of erudition when -learning was essentially prosaic. The collation of manuscripts, -the construction of grammars, the mastering of idioms, the revived -subtleties of Greek dialectics, were ponderous studies with which the -taste for literature of a lighter and more elastic tendency could ill -assimilate. The chords whence Dante had evoked majestic notes, that -seemed to swell from higher spheres, lay silent and unstrung; the -lyre of Petrarch was left in feebler hands. - -Nor was this the only evil resulting from an excess of the classical -mania. Languages in which Christianity had not been naturalised -were ill adapted for the expression of revealed truth; and the new -scholarship, discarding the barbarisms of monastic Latin, imported -into theological as well as profane compositions, the phrases of -a pagan age. To find the personages of the Trinity, or even the -hagiology of Rome, familiarly discussed under mythological names, is -to us merely absurd and revolting;[*66] but when men, already imbued -with classical predilections, were accustomed to mix up in words the -objects of their worship with the demigods of their admiration, the -natural consequence was a confusion of ideas nowise favourable to the -maintenance of their faith or the purity of their morals. - -[Footnote *66: Neither absurd nor revolting, I think, since, a little -fantastically certainly, but very truly none the less, it expresses -that continuity of the religious sense in Europe which is perhaps the -one eternal thing to be found in it. If the saints are not in a very -real sense the gods in exile, they are excellent imitations of them.] - -A not less prejudicial element emanated from the revived philosophies -of Greece, which now arrested attention and divided the speculations -of learned men. That derived from Aristotle, and known to Europe -through the sages of Arabia, had long occupied the cloisters, where -alone mind was then exercised, or its operations studied. The rival -system of Plato came directly from its native soil; and was first -publicly taught in Italy early in the fifteenth century, by Gemistus -Plato,[*67] of Constantinople. It attracted the notice of Cosimo -PATER PATRIAE, who after having Marsilio Ficino, son of his -physician, grounded in its mysteries by Greeks of learning, placed -him at the head of an academy in Florence, instituted by himself -for the dissemination of its doctrines. From thence these radiated, -absorbing the attention of literary men, and enlisting many converts -from the Stagirite faith. Aristotle and Plato became the watchwords -of contending sects,[*68] and the usual jarring results of such -logomachy were not long wanting. The merits of a question, at first -exaggerated by its respective zealots, were lost sight of in the -torrent of abuse which gradually superseded argument, and inflamed -every evil passion. Far overleaping the legitimate limits or literary -warfare, disputant logicians advanced from replies to libels, from -words to blows, and, after exhausting the armoury of invective, -had recourse to the dagger. But on a subject so painful we are not -called to enter. Backed by the authority of Nicholas V., the zeal -of Cardinal Bessarion, and the example of the Medici, the sublime -and imaginative speculations of Platonism for a time prevailed over -the more material system of the Stagirite, and Florence became their -head-quarters. The human mind, unaided by revelation, has never -invented any system so abstractly beautiful, so pure in its morals, -so elevating in its conceptions, so harmonious in its conclusions. -Its lofty ethics rank next to the doctrines of inspiration, for it -taught that happiness is the natural result of virtue, and that -the mischiefs entailed by the passions are ill repaid by their -transient pleasures. Yet, though thus intrinsically calculated to -ennoble and refine the heart of fallen man, the Platonic theories -indirectly led to lamentable results, both to the religion and the -morality of the age. The divine revelation was by them virtually -superseded, and paganism, from an affectation, became a conviction, -or, at the least, a prevailing fashion, warping the manners and -phrases, the faith and spirit of the age. Men lived for the present -world by the light of human reason, until they forgot or denied a -future existence, and a holier wisdom. The first blow struck at this -practical heathenism came from Paul II., a Venetian, who was behind -the age in its knowledge, as well as in its extravagances, and who -relentlessly persecuted what he had not the capacity to redargue. -Mind was, however, no longer to be silenced by papal bulls, or -trammelled by penal fetters: it regarded the use of such weapons as -proof that the spiritual armoury contained none more serviceable, and -learned to demur to an ecclesiastical despotism it already loathed. -Succeeding pontiffs disavowed the policy of Paul: but the old respect -for the papacy was shaken; doubts arrayed themselves against dogmas, -cavilling superseded blind faith, until the dissolute example set -by the courts of Innocent, Alexander, and Leo, converted scepticism -into infidelity, apathy into open aggression. It is impossible to -contemplate the great talents, the unwearied application, absorbed by -these rival systems of philosophy, without a sigh that they should -have been wasted on inquiries so purely speculative; yet, it cannot -be denied that the controversy prepared weapons that have since -done good service in many a better cause; that it developed mental -energies, and matured intellectual discipline, from which the world -continues largely to benefit. - -[Footnote *67: Not Plato, but Plethon. He refused the name of Plato -with which he was hailed by Cosimo de' Medici. Cf. Ficino in preface -to his _Plotini Epitome_ (Firenze, 1492). "Magnus Cosimus, quo -tempore concilium inter Graecos et Latinos, sub Eugenio pontefice -Florentinae tractabatur, philosophum Graecum, nomine Gemistum -cognomine Plethonem, quasi Platonem alterum de mysteriis Platonicis -disputantem frequenter audivit; e cujus ore ferventi sic afflatus -est protinus, sic animatus, ut inde Academiam quandam alta mente -conceperit, hanc opportuno primum tempore pariturus." Marsilio Ficino -had a poor understanding of Plato.] - -[Footnote *68: Cf. GEORGIOS TRAPEZUNTIOS, _Comparatio -Platonis et Aristotelis_.] - - * * * * * - -Although the revival of letters had been advancing during several -generations ere the chiefs of Montefeltro sought other laurels than -those of the battle-field, it was reserved for these princes to -contribute no mean aids towards their full development in that golden -harvest which the fifteenth century saw gathered in. Indeed, the -concurrent testimony of all writers has claimed for the sovereigns of -Urbino a foremost place among the friends of literature. In the words -of the general motto of this work, which well condense the prevailing -opinion, "it is notorious beyond question even of the malignant, that -the house of Montefeltro and della Rovere has for a long time past -been that which [most] shed a lustre upon Italy by letters, arms, and -every sort of rare worth, and that the court of Urbino may be termed -a Pegasean spring, in the language of historic truth rather than of -poetic hyperbole." It was to the successive reigns of Dukes Federigo -and Guidobaldo I. that such expressions were generally applied, and -to them our attention will now be directed; but in a future portion -of this work we shall endeavour to maintain for their della Rovere -successors a similar reputation. - -Were we to estimate the celebrities of Urbino by the encomiums of -their partial countrymen, and measure their claims upon mundane -immortality by the standard set up by Baldi Lazzari, Grossi, -Cimarelli, and Olivieri, it would become our indispensable duty -to add at least a volume to the present work. But these authors -were deeply imbued with that peculiarly Italian patriotism which, -narrowing its sympathies within the limits of a township or a petty -state, enshrined provincial mediocrity in a temple of fame modelled -upon a scale of national splendour. Believing that the dignity of -their little fatherland depended upon the notices of its existence -which they could worm out of antique memorials, however doubtful in -authority, and upon the number of notable names they could connect -with its localities, they tasked themselves to this investigation -with industry worthy of a nobler and more useful object. Many folio -volumes, ponderous in their contents as in their material, were -the result; but they preserve only laborious trifling, a harvest -of wordy conclusions gleaned from a soil barren of tangible facts, -dissertations which may be summed up in the axiom _ex nihilo -nihil fit_, "nothing comes of nought." Like those of the northern -senachies, their themes were often legendary or invented, and it -would have been scarcely a loss to literature had these productions -been equally fugitive. Should the worthies mentioned in the following -chapters seem scarcely to maintain the literary renown of Urbino, our -readers ought in justice to remember that scarcely a tithe has found -place in our pages of those whom zealous eulogists have placed upon -the roll of Italian literati, but - - "Whose obscurer name - No proud historian's page will chronicle." - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - - Count Guidantonio a patron of learned men--Duke - Federigo--The _Assorditi_ Academy--Dedications to - him--Prose writers of Urbino--Gentile Becci, Bishop of - Arezzo--Francesco Venturini--Berni of Gubbio--Polydoro di - Vergilio--Vespasiano Filippi--Castiglione--Bembo--Learned - ladies. - - -The reputation long enjoyed by the house of Montefeltro as patrons of -letters and arts can scarcely be traced further back than Federigo, -second Duke of Urbino. Yet the few memorials that remain of his -father, Count Guidantonio, throw some scattered lights upon congenial -tastes, and from these we select three letters to the magistracy of -Siena, which are preserved in the Archivio Diplomatico of that city. -The first of them is written in Latin, the others in Italian. - - "To the mighty and potent Lords the well beloved Fathers, - the Lords Priors, Governors, and Captain of the people of - the city of Siena. - - "Mighty and potent Lords, my especial Fathers, - - "After the expression of my sincere affection: I - understand that your Magnificences are about to agree - upon a commendable work, that of endeavouring to amend - the course of legal and other educational studies in your - city: what is really laudable needs no verbose exposition, - the fact being of itself clear and manifest. I have here - my compeer the excellent Doctor Benedetto di Bresis of - Perugia, a man of great integrity, who, without gainsaying - any one, sets forth the law in that city more amply than - any of the other judges who expound it there, and whom - his sacred Majesty lately invited to undertake the office - of captain of Aquila, on the recommendation of his own - merits, a charge which he has hitherto declined only from - an unwillingness to interrupt those studies to which he - is primarily devoted. I, however, hesitate not to propose - him as well qualified for your Magnificences, induced by a - twofold motive; first, that he may be able to continue his - studies; secondly, that he may escape from the contagion - of a home now struck by the pestilence; thirdly, that - through me you may have the honour of securing for your - course of study so able a doctor. I therefore heartily - entreat your Magnificences, and again pray and beseech - you, to appoint him to your lectureship of civil law with - an adequate salary, as a singular pleasure to myself, and - as a compliment to him, whose ample qualifications must - be satisfactory to the free wishes of your community and - the judges. And should he now or in future fall short of - these recommendations, which I cannot suppose (for I am not - so stupid), I shall consider your Magnificences to have - received at my hands a disgrace and injury, entitling you - in reason and justice to complain of me, after having so - received him into your service; and I shall always continue - beyond measure obnoxious to you and your city. Ever ready - to do you all service; from Urbino, 1st of August, 1412. - - "COUNT GUIDANTONIO OF MONTEFELTRO AND URBINO." - - - "Mighty and potent Lords, dearest Fathers: - - "The worthy and skilful Messer Piero di Pergolotti of - Verona is repairing to your magnificent Lordships, who - for a good while has been at Pesaro, where he practised - surgery, conducting himself with propriety and diligence, - so that the lords of that place and myself feel much - obliged to him, and consider ourselves bound to promote - his knowledge by providing him with the means of study. - He earnestly desires to enter into your establishment - of the Sapienza, where he hopes to do credit to this - recommendation, as well as to advance his own honour and - advantage. And knowing how much I am devoted to your - Magnificences, he has had recourse to me, hoping through - me to effect his wish. I, therefore, in consideration of - his capacity, science, and worth, pray that on my account - you will consider him fully recommended, and will grant him - admission into the Sapienza, whereby your Magnificences - will greatly gratify me, to whom I ever commend myself. - From Durante, the 2nd of May, 1440. - - "GUIDANTONIO, COUNT OF MONTEFELTRO, URBINO, AND - DURANTE." - - - "Mighty and potent Lords, most honoured Fathers, - - "There is in your Sapienza one Messer Zucha da Cagli, my - intimate friend, who, as I am informed, is very able in - civil rights, and who, for his advancement in reputation - and skill, wishes to have a lectureship, either the one - read after the first doctors come forth in the morning, or - that in the afternoon an hour before the ordinary doctors - enter. I hereby pray your magnificent Lordships, that the - said Messer Zucha be at my sight recommended to you, and - whatever honour or benefit your Lordships grant him I shall - consider as bestowed on myself, and shall remain constantly - grateful. From Cagli, the 24th of December, 1441. - - "GUIDANTONIO, COUNT OF MONTEFELTRO, URBINO, AND - DURANTE." - -Among the traits of literary taste displayed by Duke Federigo, we -learn from his biographer Muzio, that it was his custom to repair -weekly to the Franciscan convent, and to encourage among its learned -society debates and discussions on subjects analogous to their -studies. Upon this somewhat loose foundation, he has been claimed -as founder of the _Assorditi_, and it has been ranked among the -earliest academies in Italy. We need not pause to investigate -their respective titles to honours so questionable, now that such -associations are generally recognised as prolific of two enormous -literary nuisances, pedantry and puerility. From their antipathic -contact genius long has fled, leaving the field open to triumphant -mediocrity. Pretending to no original efforts, it was their narrow -aim to imitate standard productions, or to ring the changes upon them -in prosing and pointless commentaries. To indite two tomes of scholia -on a sonnet of Petrarch was the dreary task that qualified for -admission into the Florentine Academy; to string Platonic nothings -into rhyme was the high ambition which numbered votaries by hundreds. -The _Assorditi_ were no exception from the usual category of -mediocrity; and whether they were first associated under Federigo's -protection, or, as Tiraboschi alleges, sprang into existence under -Guidobaldo II., is of little moment to the literary history of Urbino. - -In times when letters flourished chiefly at courts, patronage was -the grand end of authorship, every work being inscribed to at least -one high personage. The character and position of Federigo subjected -him to a large share of such incense; but among the many dedications -laid at his feet none perhaps was more fulsome, and at the same time -more ingenious, than that prefixed by Marsilio Ficino to his Latin -version of Plato's _Essay on Monarchy_. It narrates that Jupiter, -willing to found on earth a model sovereignty, resolved to send down -the beau-ideal of a ruler for its guidance. He, therefore, summoned -the gods in full convocation, and presented to them his new creation, -under the title _Fideregum Orbinatem Ducem_, which may be literally -interpreted "Royal faith, ruler of the world," but which was -corrupted by human idiom into _Federigo Urbinate Duce_. Pallas and -Mercury thereupon, in presence of Truth, endowed the new prince with -crown and sceptre; and the Academy, as a humble handmaid of these -deities, inscribed to him Plato's work upon mundane sovereignty. -Although we have had occasion to notice in our tenth chapter this -Duke's taste for the graver studies of theology, philosophy, history, -and Grecian literature, and to commemorate the fruit it produced in a -variety of other dedications, yet few who distinguished themselves in -these pursuits are sufficiently identified with Urbino to authorise -our dwelling at any length upon their names. Guarino of Verona, -Poggio Bracciolini, Donato Acciaiolo, Poliziano, and others of mark, -may therefore be omitted; and we shall thus have very few prose -authors to bring before our readers. - - * * * * * - -GENTILE DE' BECCI was probably a native of Urbino, but the -interest attaching to his name is owing rather to the distinction -attained by his pupils than to his own. He was selected by Pietro -de' Medici to train up his son Lorenzo the Magnificent; and to have -educated such a mind is an unexceptionable title to fame. Yet the -Christian philanthropist who sighs over the dross which mingled -with its ore, the impure uses to which its bright metal was in some -respects misdirected, by a master who might have moulded it to -holier purposes, and might have enriched by its talents the treasury -of truth and the triumphs of religion, may well hesitate ere he -grants to the preceptor of Lorenzo a reflected share of his glory, -without also holding him responsible for that pagan epicureanism -which spread like a pestilence from the Medicean court throughout -Italy. Nor do the notices remaining of Becci tend to nullify such -an inference. The favour of his patrons naturally obtaining for him -rapid promotion, he was raised to the see of Arezzo in 1473. But -his life was that of a statesman rather than that of a good pastor. -We read of his tact as a diplomatist, his skill in public affairs, -his dexterous civil administration of his diocese, by directing -towards commercial industry energies which had wasted themselves on -faction; we are assured that his popularity was confirmed by his -encouragement of liberal arts, by his mild and courteous character; -we are told that in political science his pen was ably employed. But -regarding his theological attainments, the purity of his morals, the -zeal of his clerical ministrations, his eulogists are silent. We may -add that to him Guicciardini in some degree imputes the miscarriage -of the proposed league of Italy against the French invasion in -1492, in consequence of his personal ambition, when sent to conduct -the negotiations at Rome on the part of the Medici, whilst his -thoughtless extravagance there wasted resources of the Florentines -which might have been better spent on military preparations. - - * * * * * - -Of LUDOVICO ODASIO it is unnecessary to add anything to what -we have already had occasion to say.[69] FRANCESCO VENTURINI -of Urbino is reputed the first after the revival who wrote a complete -Latin grammar. It was dedicated to Count Ottaviano Ubaldini, and -was printed at Florence in 1482, and again in his native town by -Henry of Cologne, in 1493-4.[70] Among his pupils he is said to have -numbered both Raffaele and Michael Angelo.[*71] Besides BERNI -DA GUBBIO, whose Diary has been edited in the Scriptores of -Muratori, there were several annotators of events in their native -duchy, whose prose writings remain in the Vatican Library, and have -supplied us with useful information; but they were not historians, -and it is unnecessary to bring them forth from their obscurity. Of -one name, however, we may make an exception. - -[Footnote 69: See vol. I., p. 297. His oration on the death of -Federigo is No. 1233 of the Vat. Urb. MSS.] - -[Footnote 70: Maestro Arrigo, of Cologne, _alias_ Heinrich v. Coln, -had then a press at Urbino. The typographic art had been introduced -there about 1481, and at Cagli five years earlier by Roberto da Fano -and Bernardino da Bergamo.] - -[Footnote *71: Francesco da Urbino, who was certainly Michelangelo's -schoolmaster, does not seem to be the same as his friend Francesco -Urbino, so touchingly spoken of in the following letter from -Michelangelo to Vasari:-- - - "Messer Giorgio, Dear Friend,--Although I write but badly, - yet will I say a few words in reply to yours. You know that - Urbino is dead, for which I owe the greatest thanks to God; - at the same time my loss is heavy and sorrow infinite. The - grace is this, that while Urbino living kept me alive, in - dying he has taught me to die not unwillingly but rather - with a desire for death. I had him with me twenty-six - years, and always found him faithful and true. Now that I - had made him rich and thought to keep him on the staff and - rest of my old age he has departed, and the only hope left - me is that of seeing him again in Paradise, and of this God - has given a sign in his most happy death. Even more than - dying, it grieved him to leave me alive in this treacherous - world, with so many troubles; the better part of me went - with him, nothing is left to me but endless sorrow. I - commend myself to you.... - - "Your MICHAEL ANGELO BUONARROTI, in Rome. - - "The 23 day of February, 1556." - -See Le Lettere, No. CDLXXV., p. 539, in Brit. Museum, and -HOLROYD, _Michael Angelo_ (Duckworth, 1903), p. 255. - -It was this Urbino's brother who was Raphael's well-known pupil, _Il -Fattore_. Cf. also HOLROYD, _op. cit._, pp. 273 and 314.] - - * * * * * - -POLYDORO DI VERGILIO was born at Urbino about 1470, and -studied at Bologna. His relation, Adrian Castellesi, who, when -Cardinal of Corneto, was well known both in England and at Rome,[72] -had been sent by Innocent VIII. as legate to Scotland, but remained -at London in consequence of the death of James III. at the battle of -Stirling. There he was joined by Polydoro, who, on taking priest's -orders, had, through his influence, obtained from Alexander VI. the -collectorship of an old house-tax in England called _Romescot_, or -Peter's pence, originally imposed in Saxon times for the maintenance -of English pilgrims to Rome. Aliens being there frequently objects -of church preferment, he, in 1503, obtained the rectory of Church -Langton in Leicestershire; and, on his patron's appointment in the -following year to the see of Bath and Wells, the path of further -promotion was opened to him. In 1507 he became prebendary of Lincoln -and of Hereford, and archdeacon of Wells, on which he resigned his -collectorship. In 1515 he shared an imprisonment in the Tower, -brought upon Adrian by the jealousy of Wolsey, whose haughty spirit, -disappointed of the purple, attributed the delayed honours to the -Bishop's influence. Letters were consequently written by Sadoleto -in Leo's name to the English court on behalf of Polydoro, and -Wolsey having received the much coveted scarlet hat, there was no -further pretext for his detention. The date of his return home is -variously stated at 1534 or 1550, and he carried from Henry VIII. a -recommendation which procured him letters of nobility from his own -sovereign. His literary talents being probably somewhat overrated in -Italy, the long residence he made in the hotbed of heresy, without -exercising his pen in defence of his Church, appears to have brought -the purity of his faith under suspicion. That there was no tangible -ground for the imputation may be presumed from his spending the rest -of his life unquestioned at Urbino, where he died in 1555, and was -buried in the Duomo. - -[Footnote 72: Many curious unedited particulars regarding him, with -reference to the conspiracy against Leo X. in 1517, of which he was -suspected, are contained in Sanuto's Diaries, but we have not space -to notice them.] - -The favour which Vergilio obtained in Adrian's eyes was partly -owing to his success in cultivating the niceties of the Latin -tongue, to restore which in its purity was a favourite project of -the Cardinal. Before quitting Italy he had dedicated to Guidobaldo -I. his _Proverbiorum Libellus_, a volume scarcely meriting the -controversy upon which he entered with Erasmus as to the priority -of suggesting such a collection. In 1499 he finished his treatise -_De Inventoribus Rerum_, which was placed in the index of prohibited -works, in consequence of tracing certain liturgical observances back -to pagan superstitions; Grossi, however, vindicates his orthodoxy -by ascribing the obnoxious passages to heretical interpolation. His -essay _De Prodigiis_ is an attempt to explain upon natural principles -all omens, auguries, and other superstitious observances. As it is -inscribed to Duke Francesco Maria I., he probably returned to Italy -before 1538. - -But what chiefly interests us is a Latin _History of England_, -which he is said to have undertaken at the suggestion of Henry -VII., or more probably of Richard Fox, Bishop of Winchester, who -procured him access to certain archives. This work, from being the -first general compilation of the sort given to the public, obtained -more consideration than its superficial and inaccurate matter -deserved; and Mr. Roscoe well observes that it has not gained the -suffrages of posterity, either by ability or freedom from bias. -Among the impugners of its veracity are Whear, Humphrey Lloyd, -Henry Savile, and Bishop Bale. Some of these excuse his blunders -on the questionable plea of his ignorance of English government, -dialects, and manners, while Leland regrets that a writer so little -trustworthy should have cast over his deceptions the graces of style. -Anticipating perhaps such an aspersion, he, in his dedication of -the work to Henry VIII., dated from London in 1530, compared the -chronicles of Bede and Gildas, crude in form and phraseology, to -meat served without the salt which it was his object to supply. Yet -while the English blame him for misrepresentations,--avenged in the -stinging Latin epigram, - - "Maro and Polydore bore Virgil's name; - One reaps a poet's, one a liar's fame,"-- - -Giovio cites the testimony of French and Scotch authors to his -partiality for the land of his adoption. More serious, but -unestablished, is a charge greatly resented by his countrymen, that, -after garbling records and ancient muniments thrown open to his -examination, he consummated the outrage by destroying the evidence of -his villainy. It may, however, be well to keep in view that, although -Bale claims him as a willing reformer of certain Romish abuses, his -adherence to that Church brought on him distrust of the Protestants, -in an age when theological disputes were matter affecting life and -limb. - -In the Vatican is preserved a MS. of this history in two volumes -folio, of 1210 pages, in twenty-five books, ending with the death -of James IV. of Scotland in 1512. The narrative is preceded by a -dedication in Latin to Francesco Maria II., from Antonio Vergilio -Battiferri, grand-nephew of the author, which is dated in 1613, and -mentions the MS. as autograph. Yet on the last leaf is this colophon, -apparently in the same hand: "Rogo ut bene conserventur, simul cum -aliis in cenobio venerand. monalium Sce. Clare de Urbino, quousque -bella, Deo favente, cessabunt. Ego Federicus Ludovici Veterani -Urbinus scripsi totum opus." But though not the original, that -transcriber's name guarantees the accuracy of this copy. An extract -from it in II. of the Appendix proves that the Leyden edition of 1651 -is in fact a loose paraphrase of the work.[73] - -[Footnote 73: The MS. is No. 497-8 of the Vat. Urb. MSS. An edition -in folio was published at Bale in 1546.] - - * * * * * - -VESPASIANO FILIPPI[*74] was a Florentine bibliopole, in an -age when that commerce was carried on by persons of learning, whose -business it was to transcribe, collate, and critically master the -MSS. which formed its staple. He was thus in familiar intercourse -not only with the literary men of the age, but with such princes -and prelates as turned their attention to the promotion of reviving -letters by multiplication and preservation of books. Of many such -he has left us biographical notices, recently given to the world -by Cardinal Mai from three MSS. in the Vatican library,[75] and in -the Riccardiana of Florence. His collection of lives of illustrious -ladies remains unedited. In the former work no memoir is so fully -extended as that of Duke Federigo of Urbino, upon which we have in -part drawn in our Second Book. It was inscribed to Duke Guidobaldo -I., in a dedication which not only testifies to his father's martial -skill, and a prowess that never knew defeat, but also to the prudence -of his sway, and assures us that the great powers of Italy had -frequent recourse to his judicious counsels. Unlike the pedantic -writers among whom he lived, Vespasiano composed these memoirs in -the language of the people for whose information he intended them; -but the long interval that elapsed before they saw the light has -necessarily prevented them from becoming in any degree popular. -Muratori, though unable to give an account of their author, has -printed his lives of Eugene IV. and Nicholas V., and characterises -his style as possessing a simplicity more precious than eloquence. - -[Footnote *74: For Vespasiano da Bisticci, consult (1) his own -charming and exquisite work, _Vite degli uomini Illustri_ (Firenze, -1859), with an excellent preface by Bartoli; FRATI, _Lettere_ (Bologna, -1892-93). ROSSI writes of these in _Giornale Stor. d. Lett. Ital._ -(1892), vol. XX., p. 258, and vol. XXIV., p. 276. (2) FRIZZI, _Di -Vespasiano da Bisticci e delle sue biografie_ (Pisa, 1887).] - -[Footnote 75: _Spicilegium Romanum_, tom. I. (Romae, 1839). Vat. Urb. -MSS. 941.] - - * * * * * - -Two members only of the brilliant and lettered court of -Guidobaldo have gained enduring celebrity from their -writings--CASTIGLIONE and BEMBO.[*76] The former -may be considered a pattern of gentlemanly writing, the latter of -scholarlike composition. We have already said what is necessary -of both, and have introduced into our narrative an idea of Count -Baldassare's _Cortegiano_, its objects and style. It is said to -have been suggested by Louis XII., and written about 1516, but -the author's preface seems to point at an earlier date. Two of -his published letters to Bembo show how anxiously he awaited the -suffrage of his friends, among whom it was handed about; but it was -sent to press in 1528, only in consequence of the alarm of a pirated -edition being in preparation, from a MS. which had been submitted -to the famed Vittoria Colonna, Marchioness of Pescara. The number -of reprints which issued during the next fifty years was at least -forty-two. A variety of circumstances conduced to this extensive and -continued popularity. Books professing to initiate the many into -habits and mysteries of refined society ever have claims on public -curiosity, but the attraction was here increased by the dazzling -reputation of the palace-circle at Urbino, as well as by the charms -of erudition, wit, elegance, and worldly wisdom which sparkle in -every page. It has, however, been remarked that most translations of -the _Cortegiano_ have failed to obtain the applause bestowed upon the -original. The observation may be taken as a compliment to the polish -of its diction, and to those delicacies of expression that bear no -transplanting into another idiom. It also proves that the celebrity -of this work rests much upon its style. The subject could scarcely -be treated at such length without falling into that diffuseness and -repetition, which, though clothed in beauty by the rich fluency of -the Italian language, must always degenerate into monotony when -rendered by the bold expletives of a less copious tongue. - -[Footnote *76: For Castiglione, see works mentioned in note *2, -p. 51 _supra_. I understand Mrs. Ady has written a biography of -Castiglione, which is shortly to appear. For Bembo, I cite here -a few works more especially relating to Urbino or to his general -life: MORSOLIN, _Pietro Bembo e Lucrezia Borgia_, in _Nuova -Autologia_, August, 1885. Cf. CIAN, in _Giornale Stor. d. Lett. -Ital._, XXIX., p. 425. CIAN, _Un decennio della vita di P. Bembo_ -(1521-31) (Torino, 1885), and LUZIO, in _Giornale St. d. Lett. Ital._, -VI., p. 270, and D'ANCONA, _Studi sulla Letteratura de' primi secoli_ -(Ancona, 1884), p. 151 _et seq._] - -[Illustration: CASTIGLIONE - -_After the picture by Raphael in the Louvre_] - -In a period when princes and courts little resembled what they have -since become, we possess from the pens of Machiavelli and Castiglione -generalised portraits of both; and they may be relied on as genuine, -although the Tuscan, like the _tenebristi_ painters, overloaded his -darker shadows, whilst the Mantuan Count employed the roseate tinting -of licensed flattery. Roscoe considers the _Cortegiano_ an ethical -treatise, yet it belongs as much to belles-lettres as to moral -philosophy. Its author has been called the Chesterfield of Italy, -and the parallel is singularly apt. The Count and the Earl have each -supplied "a glass of fashion and a mould of form" for the guidance of -their courtly contemporaries, and the posthumous reputation of both -with the world at large rests more upon their dicta as arbiters of -politeness, than upon their rare diplomatic address and statesmanlike -attainments. With all its interest as a picture of manners and a test -of civilisation in that proverbially refined age, with every charm -which elegance of style can impart, it is impossible to dwell on the -_Cortegiano_ without feeling that its influence was then fraught with -evil. In the pages of that essay were first systematically embodied -precepts of tact, lessons of adulation, all repugnant to the stern -manners and wholesome independence of antecedent generations. The -homely bearing of honest burghers, the rough and ready speech of men -who lived in harness, were there put out of fashion by studied phrase -and cringing flattery, too easy preparations for the effeminate -euphuism and fulsome servility which Spanish thraldom soon after -imposed upon Italy. - -Another work of Castiglione, to which we have already had occasion to -refer, is his letter, written in Latin, to Henry VIII., containing -an account of Guidobaldo's death, with a somewhat meagre sketch of -his character. But there is in its composition an air of effort, a -straining at rhetorical effect, which leave upon us the inevitable -conclusion that he thought more of his style than his hero. These -faults and deficiencies belong, however, in a still greater degree -to that more ambitious disquisition, wherein Bembo has sought to -honour the memory of the Duke and Duchess, whose favour he had amply -enjoyed. His few fugitive poems well merit the preference accorded to -them by Tiraboschi over most contemporary effusions, from force of -sentiment not less than felicitous expression. It would be difficult -to rival in the literature of any age the pathos of that ode wherein -his beloved wife is supposed to sigh over his prolonged absence, and -send him the sympathetic yearnings of her long-suppressed affection. -Of this, however, and his Tirsis, we have already said enough.[77] - -[Footnote 77: See above, pp. 49-50, 53-4, 58.] - -The courtly qualities of Count Baldassare are acknowledged wherever -his native literature is known; that they were not inconsistent with -his observance of parental feelings is proved by an interesting -Latin letter addressed to his children the year before his death, -which has been preserved by Negrini in his _Elogii Historici_ of the -Castiglione family. - - "To my beloved children, Camillo, Anna, and Ippolita. - - "It is my belief, dearest son Camillo, that you, above - all things, desire my return home, for nature and the - laws equally inculcate veneration for our parents next to - God; and in your case there may be a special duty, since - I, content with but one boy, would not have another to - share with you my property and parental affection. That I - may not have to repent of such a resolution, I shall own - myself free of doubt as to yourself; yet would I have you - aware that I look for such duty at your hands rather as a - debt, than with the indifference of most parents. It will - be easily paid, if you regard in the light of a father - that excellent preceptor obtained by your friends, and - implicitly follow his advice. From my prolonged absence, - I have nothing to inculcate upon you beyond this line of - Virgil, which I may without ostentation quote: - - "From me, my son, learn worth and honest toil; - Fortune from others take."[78] - - "And do you, Anna, who first endeared to me a daughter's - name, so perfect yourself in moral graces, that whatever - beauty your person may develop, shall be the handmaid of - your virtues, and shall figure last in the compliments - paid you. And you, Ippolita, reflect on my love for her - whose name you bear; and how charming it would be for your - merits to surpass your sister's as much as her years do - yours. Go on both, as you are doing, and, having lost the - mother who bore you before you could know her to be so, do - you imitate her qualities, that all may remark how greatly - you resemble her. Adieu. - - "From Monzoni, the 13th July, 1528. - - "Your father, - - "BALTHASSAR CASTILION." - -[Footnote 78: - - "Disce, puer, virtutem ex me, verumque laborem; - Fortunam ex aliis." - - _Aeneid_ XII., 345. - -Dryden has missed the point of this passage.] - - * * * * * - -The position which BEMBO holds in the literature of Italy's -golden age is not less singular than prominent. As an historian and -poet, a philologist and rhetorician, and as a voluminous writer of -official and private letters, he challenges criticism and has gained -applause. It is, however, as a reformer of style that his claims -have been most freely accorded, and his example held up to general -imitation. Following the fashion of his day, he regarded classical, -and especially Latin, attainments, as the attribute most needful for -an accomplished man. But he went further; and, aware of the coarse -and rugged manner into which literature had fallen, sought to correct -Latin composition, and to perfect his own tongue, after the purest -ancient standards. On this object he spared no pains, till by long -and laborious practice he wrote in both with equal precision. He is -said to have subjected each of his works to forty separate critical -revisions, and no one can read a page without feeling that, as with -too many of his countrymen, the manner has occupied quite as much -thought as the matter. This naturally tended to an opposite extreme, -for the studied structure of his sentences, and the fatiguing -recurrence of mythological allusion, are blemishes greatly detracting -from the pleasure afforded by his works.[79] Scaliger, accordingly, -has scourged his pagan misnomers of divine things, while his -"childish heresy" of abject Ciceronian imitation is ridiculed by -Lansius and Lipsius. Yet there is justice in the test applied to -them by Tiraboschi; for great and wide-spread evils require extreme -remedies, and the prevailing laxity of style having been once -brought into discredit by his example, those who followed were able -to avail themselves of his guidance and taste, without falling into -the rigidity and constraint which blemish his compositions. Indeed, -notwithstanding these obvious blots, which hero-worship has mistaken -for beauties, his History of Venice, his Essay on Imitation, his -diplomatic and familiar correspondence, and even his poetry, must, -when tried by then-received standards, be allowed a merit entitling -them to the general suffrage of contemporaries. It is to his Latin -prose that our strictures are most applicable. Forgetting, in his -zealous imitation of Cicero, the allowance due to modern themes, -principles, and feelings, he so slavishly followed that heathen -philosopher's idioms, as to clothe what he meant for Christianity -in the words of paganism. Even his letters, running in name of the -successor of St. Peter, transmuted the Almighty into a pantheistic -generality, our Saviour into a hero, and the Madonna into a goddess -of Loreto. It may be feared that this latitudinarianism was not -limited to manner, for an anecdote alleges him to have seriously -recommended a young divine to avoid reading St. Paul's Epistles, lest -they might mar his style. - -[Footnote 79: "Quid autem ineptius quam, toto seculo renovato, -religione, imperiis, magistratibus, locorum vocabulis, aedificiis, -cultu, moribus, non aliter audire, loqui, quam locutus est -Cicero? Si revivisceret ipse Cicero, rideret hoc Ciceronianorum -genus."--ERASMUS.] - -Compositions conceived and executed in so eclectic a spirit could -scarcely avoid falling into coldness and pedantry; and such are -prominent faults in his Venetian history, and his tribute to Duke -Guidobaldo,--two works especially connected with the subject of -these pages. The former is the most important production of his pen, -and was begun in 1529, by desire of the Signory, in continuation of -Sabellico's narrative, It is comprised in twelve books, extending -from 1487 to 1513, where it remained unfinished at his death, but -was continued by Paruta. From a contemporary possessing talent, -industry, leisure, and high literary reputation, as well as many -opportunities of personal observation, very large expectations might -be legitimately entertained. But as a churchman, he is said to have -been jealously excluded from the Venetian archives, a condition -which, in the judgment of Tiraboschi, ought to have disqualified -him from the task, and which may account for, if it cannot excuse, -the superficial character of the narrative, the poverty of graphic -details, and the teasing absence of dates. On the composition, too, -his classic mania has left its withering traces. It was his ambition -here to rival the Commentaries of Caesar; and, in perfecting the -idiom of a dead language, he has constrained freedom of thought, and -polished away the life and spirit of his theme. We have examined his -pages, as an indispensable authority upon events which occupy several -chapters of our work; but those who read Italian history for pleasure -will generally prefer to do so either in the Italian tongue or their -own. Conscious probably of this, the author himself translated the -work into his vernacular language, and both versions were published -soon after his death. - -His dissertation on the characters of the Duke and Duchess of -Urbino is written in Latin, and exhibits all those blemishes of -style to which we have just referred, and which so strangely jar -upon the fulsome flattery and elaborate verbiage which he labours -to reduce into Ciceronian terseness. Though entitled a "Book," the -whole occupies but a hundred pages in the octavo edition of his -works (1567), whereof scarcely one third is original matter. It is -addressed to Nicolo Tiepolo, a literary gentleman of Venice, and -professes to have been committed to writing for the satisfaction -of some Venetians who, feeling an interest in Guidobaldo as their -former guest, had applied to the father of Bembo for some account of -his death. It is thrown into a dialogue between himself, Sadoleto, -Filippo Beroaldo the younger, and Sigismondo [Conti?] of Foligno. -The last-named personage supplies to their inquiries a narrative -of the Duke's closing hours, addressed to Julius II., by Federigo -Fregoso, along with the funeral oration pronounced at his obsequies -by his preceptor Odasio. The former of these is written in a strain -beseeming a heathen philosopher, rather than a Christian dignitary; -the latter, which Tiraboschi has detected as very different from the -printed oration, is to the full as turgid and tiresome as are most -such efforts of Italian adulation; neither of them tell anything of -importance that Castiglione has not better given us. - -The whole discourse is, as I have had occasion to mention,[80] of -but trifling value to the biographer of these personages. Facts -are generalised until no substance remains; incidents and traits -of character are lost in the multiplicity of epithets; and thus we -have, instead of a speaking likeness, a vague and showy picture, -overladen with ornaments until individuality is gone. The warmer -emotions of the heart could scarcely, perhaps, be happily clothed in -the abstractions of a dead tongue, unadapted to the times, and to -circumstances which required the outpourings of unaffected grief; -at all events, these measured periods and studied phrases give no -real pleasure. Bembo was an elegant Latinist, but in such a work the -language of nature could alone afford satisfaction. When we seek -to know the true characters of his distinguished patrons, we are -dismissed with an inflated rhetorical exercise; we are offered bread, -and find it a stone. These strictures apply to the long funeral -oration, but still more to the dull didactic discourse of the four -friends, which wants the fire and feeling of the eulogy, and is -soiled by gross details gratuitously introduced on a point at which -good taste would have barely glanced. In all respects, the most -interesting portion of the work is Fregoso's letter, upon which we -have drawn in describing the death-bed of Guidobaldo. On the whole, -this production may be dismissed with a doubt whether its prosiness -or its pruriency is most offensive. Nor will the perusal of those -papal brieves, extended by the same writer, which despoiled of his -inheritance the Duke's adopted child, blasphemously ejecting him from -the pale of Christendom, give a higher opinion of the sincerity of -this ungrateful sycophant. - -[Footnote 80: Vol. I., p. 298, 392; II., 114.] - -His other works, having no immediate reference to our subject, -may be dismissed with few words. _The Prose_, a treatise upon -rhetoric, intended to fix the standard of pure Italian composition, -is a dialogue, to which Giuliano de' Medici and Federigo Fregoso -are parties. _Gli Asolani_, a more juvenile production, was named -from the castle of Asolo, at which some youths are represented as -discussing the tender passion in all its moods and modifications. -This theme, notwithstanding the tedious manner in which it is -treated, gave it great popularity over western Europe in the -sixteenth century, but the style and substance alike render it -unpalatable to modern amateurs of light reading. His Latin treatise -_De Imitatione_ is a dull defence of his Ciceronian mannerisms; -his essay in the same language upon Virgil and Terence a laboured -philological critique; his _De Aetna Liber_ a report of physical -observations during an early residence near that volcano. His poetry, -both Latin and Italian, enjoyed high reputation at a period when -imitations of Petrarch had degenerated into common-place; for he -succeeded in brushing away the rust of ages, and restoring much -of the bright polish peculiar to the bard of Arqua. Lastly, his -very numerous private and official letters have preserved to us a -valuable store of facts, and much curious illustration of coeval -manners and individual character. - - * * * * * - -The share of laborious learning voluntarily borne by ladies of -the highest birth in the fifteenth century is a singular problem. -There was scarcely a sovereign family that could not boast among -its daughters some votary of intellectual pursuits, in an age when -mental cultivation was of a sort more calculated to overburden -genius, than to give wings to fancy in her flight after knowledge. -A familiar acquaintance with Latin was then requisite, being the -key to modern as well as classic and biblical literature, and also -the current language of diplomacy or courtly intercourse.[*81] The -abstruse distinctions of ancient philosophy, the complex tenets of -dogmatic theology, the fatiguing jargon of scholastic disputation, -were all included in the circle of female accomplishments. Such were -the graces for which Bianca d'Este, Isotta Nogarolo, and Veronica -Gambara were famed; while another Isotta, paramour of the truculent -Lord of Rimini, divided contemporary adulation between the beauties -of her person and her mind. The vagueness of such eulogies might -well justify scepticism as to the profundity of that lore they -were intended to vaunt; but in the case of Ippolita Maria Sforza, -daughter of Francesco Duke of Milan, and wife of Alfonso King of -Naples, chance has afforded us a standard of the knowledge mastered -by these learned ladies. It was for this princess that Constantine -Lascaris composed the earliest Greek Grammar; and in the convent -library of Sta. Croce at Rome there is a transcript by her of -Cicero De Senectute, followed by a juvenile collection of Latin -apophthegms curiously indicative of her character and studies. The -house of Montefeltro could boast a full share of such distinction, -in Princess Battista, wife of the wretched Galeazzo Lord of Pesaro, -to whose literary celebrity we have elsewhere paid our tribute, -and whose progeny we have seen maintaining the prestige of her -accomplishments to the third generation. Her great-granddaughter -Battista Sforza rivalled her accomplishments, and those of her cousin -Ippolita Maria, and, when placed by her marriage at the head of the -court at Urbino, contributed much to the literary reputation which -it then first obtained. Its two succeeding duchesses of the Gonzaga -race, although women of remarkable talent, did not carry so far the -cultivation of their natural powers; but we have found, in their -relative and associate Emilia Pia, one whose learning was scarcely -less notable than her wit. - -[Footnote *81: On the whole subject of women, see note *1, p. -72. Their education was the same as that of their brothers. Cf. -SYMONDS, _The Renaissance in Italy_ (1904), vol. V., p. -250, note 1, and BURCKHARDT, _The Civilisation of the -Renaissance_ (1878), vol. II., p. 161.] - -Such were the examples of female genius which emanated from the -courts of Italy, and, spreading to her universities, installed -feminine erudition in professorial chairs. Nor was this questionable -practice limited within the Italian peninsula. Many Spanish dames -were conspicuous in scholarship, and, at the close of the century, -Salamanca and Alcala saw their professorships held with applause by -ladies equally distinguished for birth and accomplishments. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - - Poetry under the Montefeltri--Sonnets--The - Filelfi--Giovanni Sanzi--Porcellio Pandonio--Angelo - Galli--Federigo Veterani--Urbani Urbinate--Antonio - Rustico--Naldio--Improvisatori--Bernardo Accolti--Serafino - d'Aquila--Agostino Staccoli--Early comedies--_La - Calandra_--Corruption of morals--Social position of women. - - -Were the lettered court of Duke Federigo to be judged by its -minstrels, a harsh sentence might perhaps be awarded. Nor would this -be quite fair. Their cold and common-place ideas, their rude and -vapid verses, are indeed far beneath the standard of our fastidious -age, and scarcely repay those who decipher them in venerable -parchments. Yet have we ample evidence of their superiority to many -poetasters of Italy, who then emulated Virgil's hexameters, or abused -the facilities of their vernacular versification; and it is just the -fact of these laureates of Urbino so long surviving the countless -rhymers of other principalities, that proves the discriminating -patronage of a sovereign, who attached to his court the best writers -of his time. Nor must we fail to remember that the now prominent -blemishes of their works were then their most admired qualities. The -classical sympathies which we usually leave in schools and colleges, -or which, when carried prominently about us in the busy world are -stigmatised as a pedantic and ungraceful encumbrance, were then in -high fashion. They were indispensable to the man of liberal education -as his sword and buckler to the soldier; they were adopted among -the conventional elements of all literature, poetry, and taste. -A standard being thus set up so antipathic to the ideas of our -practical age, we are called upon, before proceeding to judgment, to -divest ourselves of prejudices which may in their turn become the -marvel and ridicule of our posterity. - -The inherent defects of that minstrelsy, - - "Whose melody gave ease to Petrarch's wounds," - -have been aptly set forth by Roscoe, but he appears to overlook its -special adaptation for the Italian tongue. Limited to one theme, -which it is required to exhaust in a fixed number of lines, and -fettered by the frequent and stated recurrence of a few rhymes, no -language less copious and pliant can be woven into a sonnet, without -occasionally betraying, in bald, formal, or rugged versification, -the torture to which it has been subjected. Again, the constraint -and mannerism which often deform this metrical composition in -other idioms are here its safeguard from a mellifluous but insipid -verbiage, so often fatal to the lyrics of Italy: on a poetry -habitually turgid and redundant, terseness is thus absolutely imposed. - -With these few words of apology for doggerel hexameters and -indifferent sonnets, we shall shortly pass in review some of those -who thus wooed the muses in the Montefeltrian court. - - * * * * * - -Among the most widely known names of this age was FRANCESCO -FILELFO, whose venal pen often wantoned in biting lampoons, -whose sickening vanity was obtruded in the most repulsive egotism, -and whose vagrant habits strangely combined assiduous study with lax -morals. In most respects he anticipated the bad notoriety acquired -a century later by Pietro Aretino, and like him alternately fawned -upon and flagellated princely patrons of literature. Were his life -to be written, it would be difficult to extract truth by balancing -his own self-vaunting letters against the scurrilous philippics of -his untiring enemy Poggio Bracciolini. But we are fortunately spared -this task, and may refer to Tiraboschi, Roscoe, and Shepherd for -illustrations of his restless existence and fractious temper.[82] -In both these respects GIAN MARIA,[*83] the son, seems to -have resembled Francesco the father, whilst he even exceeded him in -the number and variety of his compositions. He sought audiences in -many cities of Italy and Provence for his prelections in grammar and -philosophy, as well as for his improvisations of Latin or Italian -verse; and among the numerous patrons he thus courted was the good -King Rene, who bestowed on him the laurel crown, a guerdon which his -rude numbers ill-deserved at the hands of that graceful troubadour. -Tiraboschi makes no allusion to his intercourse with Duke Federigo, -whereof we know little beyond two works which he inscribed to that -Prince, and which remain unedited in the Vatican Urbino Library. -The former of these, dated at Modena in 1464, was corrected by the -author, "doctor in arts and both faculties of law, knight, and poet -laureat," he being then in his thirty-eighth year. It is numbered -702, and contains about two thousand five hundred Latin hexameters -and pentameters, entitled _Martiados_, an obvious imitation of his -father's _Sfortiados_. The theme is thus set forth in a dedication to -the Duke of Urbino:-- - - "Primus et in Martem quae sint pia fata Tonantis, - Et manibus nati monstra parenta refert; - At liber et bellis laudatque et honore secundus, - Et gestis magnum rebus in orbe Ducem." - -[Footnote 82: TIRABOSCHI, _Storia della Letteratura -Italiana_, VI., ii., p. 317-30; SHEPHERD'S _Life of Poggio -Bracciolini_, _passim_; ROSCOE'S _Lorenzo de' Medici_, ch. -i.] - -[Footnote *83: Cf. FLAMINI, _Versi inediti da G.M. Filelfo_ -(Livorno, 1892, per nozze).] - -The very moderate anticipations raised by this proemium, which we -leave in its rugged original, are not surpassed in the context, dull -and common-place as it is in sentiment, prosaic and unpolished in -style. Losing sight of his avowed object of keeping apart the deeds -of Mars, the ancient divinity, from those of Federigo, his living -type, in order to illustrate the parallel which it is his plan to -draw between them, he strangely jumbles both; and, following the -new-born classicism of the day, he has crammed his rough verses with -nearly every name that heathen mythology, history, or geography can -muster, in senseless and jarring confusion. With a view to exalt -his hero as a second Hercules, he enumerates a series of labours -and achievements from his childhood, when he sprang from bed and -strangled a snake that had frightened all his attendants. This is -followed by a farrago of allegorical struggles, combats, and triumphs -over temptations or evil principles, anticipating somewhat the idea -of the _Pilgrim's Progress_, but with this important difference, that -the motives, arms, and aids are all borrowed from pagan mythology. -So entirely is Federigo lost among the gods and demigods who crowd -the stage, that his character or actions are seldom brought on the -foreground at all, and never with sufficient idiosyncracy to avail -for the development of either. Finally, we find him deified in -Olympus, and the epic closes with an empty bravado that none ever -more worthily emulated Alcides. - -The other MS. of Gian Maria Filelfo which demands a passing note is -No. 804 of the same library, and is dated seven years later than the -_Martiados_. It contains some six thousand Italian verses, consisting -for the most part of minor poems on a variety of subjects; the -volume is dedicated to Federigo, but many of the _Canzoni morali_ -are inscribed to distinguished personages, not omitting the Duke's -rancorous foe Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, to whose vanity such -incense could not have been unpalatable. In treating of religious -topics, the author, for the time, and by an effort, lays aside the -pagan strain which prevails in his other lays, and though generally -selecting the sonnet or _terza rima_, he thus affects to disclaim all -rivalry with their mighty masters:-- - - "To these rude rhymes, alas, nor Petrarch's style - Is given, nor the good Dante's pungent file." - -Yet there is considerable ambition in the rhythm, and although -prolix, like other contemporary compositions, and inflated by -superabundant episodes, it is not devoid of occasional poetic -feeling. In the dedicatory address he thus speaks of his volume:-- - - "De! dunque Signor mio, per tua merciede - Con lieta fronte schorri esto libretto, - Il qual sotto il tuo titolo honor chiede. - Forse leggiendol' ne fia alcun dilecto, - Per esser di molte herbe uno orticciuolo, - Quantunque el vi sia dentro erro e diffecto: - Pur che 'l non sia di tutto il vano orciuolo - Col qual l'aqua si tira, da le donne - Che feciono ai mariti si gran duolo. - Ogni casa non e posta in colonne; - Ognuno esser non puo Dante o Patrarcha; - Ognun non porta pretiose gonne. - Ma spesse volte piccoletta barcha - Arriva in luoco, ove andando s'anniegha - Tal grossa nave che molto e men charcha. - De! s'al huom val quanto il Signor piu priegha, - China la fronte altiera a questa scorza, - Ch'in questo mio arbor del pieta non niegha. - Et come il navichare hor poggia, hor orza, - Hor pope avvien, secondo i venti e l'onde - Cosi convien ch'in vario error mi torza. - Hor la mia voglia la ragion confonde, - Hor l'appetito impera, hor vivo in doglia, - Hor lieto, hor desioso, et non so donde. - Qual l'autunno ogni verde arbor spoglia, - Inverno asciugha, e primavera inverde, - Tal varia e nostra externa et mental voglia. - Ma tristo chiunque indarno il tempo perde, - Ch'e peggio ch'esser rozzo e senza lima, - Pero che chi non e mai non riverde. - De! leggi, Signor mio, la vulghar ryma, - Et sia ti un modo da cacciar la noia, - Quando di gran facciende hai maggior stima." - -As we shall give a place in our Appendix to Giovanni Sanzi's judgment -upon the painters of his day, we may here insert Filelfo's sonnet to -Gentile Bellini. - - "Bellin! s'io t'hebbi mai fitto nel cuore, - Se mai chognobbi it tuo preclaro ingiegno, - Hor confess'io che sei fra gli altri degno, - D'haver qual hebbe Apelle ogni alto honore. - Veduta ho l'opra tua col suo cholore, - La venusta col suo sguardo benegno, - Ogni suo movimento et nobil segno - Che ben demonstri il tuo gientil valore. - Gientile! io t'ero affectionato assai, - Parendomi la tua virtu piu rara - Che soglia esser l'ucciel che e solo al mondo; - Ne pingier sa chi da te non impara, - Che gloria a quegli antiqui hormai tolta hai, - In chi questa arte postha ogni suo pondo. - Forsse che troppo habondo - A te che non ti churi di tue lode, - Ma diciendone assai l'alma mia ghode." - -When compared with contemporary efforts, these specimens, and others -which it would be easy to add, deserve a better fate than the neglect -to which, in common with most of their author's works, they have been -consigned; nor do they bear out the imputation of careless haste, -alleged by Tiraboschi as the prevailing error of his very numerous -and various productions. The paucity of these which have issued from -the press may, however, be taken as confirming that judgment, as -well as the suppression of his narrative of the campaign of Finale -in 1447, after it had been printed by Muratori for his Scriptores. -But poetry may be accounted his forte,--a somewhat remarkable -circumstance, considering the unrivalled reputation he established as -an _improvisatore_ of verses on any number not exceeding one hundred -themes suddenly proposed, as such facility has rarely been conjoined -with true poetic fire. - -It were to be desired that we knew more of his intercourse with -Duke Federigo. In one of his dedicatory epistles, after alluding -to the likelihood of that prince reading the work, he, in a vein of -fulsome compliment and impudent conceit, complains of neglect from -friends, and hints at a visit to Urbino. It is difficult to glean -facts from the vague common-places of such letters; but in 1468 he -thanks his patron for retaining at his court Demetrio Castreno, a -learned Greek fugitive from Constantinople. Equally mannered and -cold are his flattery and his condolence, on the death of Countess -Battista in 1472. Next year he writes that, having begun a commentary -on Federigo's life, and completed two books, he had been induced to -submit them to the Duke of Milan, from whom he never could recover -the manuscript. - - * * * * * - -Another _protege_ of Duke Federigo was PORCELLIO PANDONIO, -of Naples,[*84] whose pen was ever at command of the readiest -patron, as historiographer or laureate. From his partiality to the -designations of bard and secretary to Alfonso of Naples, it would -seem that he chiefly rested his fame on his poetical compositions. -From this judgment Muratori differs, protesting that in historical -narrative none excelled his ease and elegance of diction.[85] Abject -classicism, in thought and style, was then a common weakness of -the learned; and however correctly Porcellio may have caught the -Latin phraseology, it is difficult to get over the jarring effect -of an idiom and nomenclature foreign to the times and incidents -which it is his object vividly to portray. In his printed work, on -the campaigns of 1451-2, between Venice and Milan, he uniformly -disguises Sforza and Piccinino, their respective commanders, as -Scipio and Hannibal, under which _noms de guerre_ it requires a -constant effort to recognise mediaeval warriors, or to recollect -that we are considering events dating some two thousand years after -those who really bore them had been committed to the dust. The same -affectation, common to many authors of his day, mars his unpublished -writings which we have had occasion to examine in the Vatican Urbino -Library, and their authority is greatly impaired by what Muratori -well calls "prodigality of praise" to his heroes, that is, to his -generous patrons. In a beautifully elaborated MS. (No. 373) he has -collected, under the title of Epigrams, nearly fifty effusions in -honour of our Duke and Duchess, and of members of their family -or court, a favourite theme being the love-inspired longings of -Battista for her lord's return from the wars. In the same volume -is his Feltria, an epic composed at Rome about 1472, and narrating -Federigo's campaigns, from that of 1460-1, under the banner of Pius -II., by whose command Porcellio undertook to sing his general's -prowess in three thousand Virgilian verses. Its merits may be fairly -appreciated from extracts already given,[86] and from this allusion -to the state of Italy at the outbreak of the war:-- - - "Jamque erat Ausoniae populos pax alta per omnes, - Et tranquilla quies: jam nulli Martis ad aras - Collucent ignes; jam victima nulla cadebat. - Dantur thura Jovi; fumabat oliva Minervae: - Sus erat in pretio, Cereris aptissima sacris, - Pampineique dei caper, et qui vitibus amens - Officit, atque merum ante aras cum sanguine fundit." - -[Footnote *84: Porcellio Napolitano was the laureate and secretary -of Alphonso I. of Aragon and of Naples, and later the secretary and -familiar of Sigismondo Malatesta. Porcellio seems to have hated -Basinio, another court poet, whose works, with a long commentary, -have been published (BATTAGLINI, _Basinii, Parmensis Poetae -Opera Praestantiora_ (Rimini, 1794)). Basinio seems to have proved -before the Court of Rimini that Porcellio was ignorant of Greek. -"One can be a fine Latin poet without knowing Greek," he answered in -a rage, but truly enough. Basinio, however, asserted that not only -Virgil and all the great poets and prose writers knew Greek, but -showed that while that language was forgotten Italy was plunged in -darkness. But enough of such absurdities, which have besides nothing -to do with Urbino or even Dennistoun's history of it.] - -[Footnote 85: Nearly all we know of him will be found in the -Scriptores, XX., 67, and XXV., 1.] - -[Footnote 86: See vol. I., pp. 209-11. Portions of the same poem -are contained in Nos. 709 and 710 of the Urbino Library, the former -corrected by the author, the latter in his autograph. Some of his -minor lyrics were published at Paris in 1549, along with those of two -other minstrels who sang the praises of the Malatesta.] - -Such were the foreign poets who frequented Duke Federigo's court. -Its native bards left few works meriting particular notice, with one -interesting exception. We have elsewhere to discuss Giovanni Sanzi -or Santi,[*87] of Urbino, his merits as a painter, and the celebrity -reflected on him from the eminence of his son, the unequalled -Raffaele. Here we shall speak of his epic on that Duke's life, of -which we have made frequent use in our first volume, and which -demands attention on account of its excellence, as well as from the -intimate connection with our subject of its author and theme. - -[Footnote *87: On Giovanni Santi, see CAMPORI, _Notizie -e docum. per la vita di Giov. Santi e di Raffaello Santi da -Urbino_ (Modena, 1870); GUERRINI, _Elogio Stor. di Giov. -Santi_ (Urbino, 1822); SCHMARZOW, _Giovanni Santi der Vater Raffaels_, -in _Kunstchronik_ (Leipsig), An. XXIII., No. 27; SCHMARZOW, _Giovanni -Santi_ in _Vierteljahrsschrift fuer Kultur und Lett. der Renaissance_ -(Leipsig), vol. II., Nos. 2-4. Cf. also CROWE & CAVALCASELLE, _History -of Painting in Italy_, vol. III.] - -This poem, having remained unedited in the Vatican arcana, long -escaped the literary historians of the Peninsula, but it has been -recently quoted by two writers, Pungileone and Passavant, the former -of whom had not seen it.[88] Although, in his dedication to Duke -Guidobaldo, composed after 1490, the author accounts for his becoming -a painter, as we shall see in chapter xxviii., he gives no further -explanation of the motives which inspired the labour of a poem, -containing some twenty-four thousand lines, than "that after anxious -thought and consideration of such new ideas as offered themselves, I -wished to sing in this little used style of _terza rima_, the story -of your most excellent and most renowned father's glorious deeds," -whose "brilliant reputation not only was and is well known throughout -Italy, but is, if I may say so, the subject of discourse beyond the -Caucasus," "not without a conscious blush at the idea of dipping so -mean a vessel in the water of this limpid and sparkling spring." -With equal modesty, he deprecates all rivalry with the learned -commentators who had celebrated the same theme in Latin, limiting the -ambition of his "rude and brief compend" to rendering its interest -accessible to more ordinary readers; but, looking back upon his -twenty-three ample cantos, he fervently thanks the Almighty that an -undertaking of so extended time and toil had at length attained its -termination, and concludes by "humbly beseeching that you will regard -the hero's far-famed actions, rather than the baseness of my style, -whose only grace is the sincere devotion of a faithful servant to his -lord." A similar tone marks the outset of his Chronicle:-- - - "If e'er in by-gone times a shallow mind - Shrank from the essay of a grand design, - So quake I in the labour-pangs of fear." - -[Footnote 88: _Elogio Storico di Giovanni Santi_, pp. 14 and 69, -etc.; Rafael von Urbino. The original and only MS. is described in -III. of our Appendix.] - -Compared with contemporary epics, the rhythm is smooth and flowing, -and the style dignified, interspersed with highly poetical episodes -and finely expressed moral reflections as well as apt illustrations -from ancient history and mythology. The epithets, though abundant, -are more than usually appropriate, and many terse maxims are happily -introduced. Yet, in his object of placing his poem and his hero among -the popular literature of the day, Giovanni must have failed, the -Vatican MS. being the only known copy. Readers it, however, doubtless -had, one of whom has curiously commemorated his admiration by jotting -on the margin, "Were you but as good a painter as a poet, who knows!" -Modern critics, contrasting his fresco at Cagli with the rhyming -Chronicle, would probably arrive at an inverse conclusion, especially -were they to pronounce upon the latter from the preamble which called -forth that exclamation--an allegorical vision, told in nine weary -chapters, wherein figure a motley crowd of mythological and heroic -personages belonging to ancient and contemporary times. - -It would occasion much useless repetition to enter here into any -detailed analysis of the work, as we have formerly drawn upon its -most valuable portions for the history of Duke Federigo. When -considering the state of the fine arts, we shall have to notice -a very important part of the poem touching upon that subject--an -aesthetic episode on the art and artists of his day, which is -introduced on occasion of the Duke's visit to Federigo I., Marquis of -Mantua. In regard to the merit of this epic, due allowance must be -made for the taste of the age. Its great length necessarily infers a -tediousness of detail much more adapted to prose than verse, indeed -inherently prosaic. Yet it contains not a few continuous passages -of sustained beauty, and it would not be difficult to cull many a -sparkling thought and bright simile, while from time to time the -dull narrative is enlivened by lyric touches and strokes of poetic -fancy, adorning sentiments creditable to the genius and the heart -of its author, who, with much sweetness of disposition, appears to -have possessed endowments beyond his humble sphere. His patriotic -indignation at the ceaseless broils and strifes which convulsed his -fatherland may supply us with an example or two:-- - - "Ma non potendo Italia in pace stare - Sotto lunga quiete, o mai, parendo - Putrida vile e maricia diventare." - - No long repose Ausonia e'er can brook, - For peace to her brings languor, and she deems - It loathsome to lie fallow. - - "Cum qual costum, che Italia devora, - Del sempre stare in gran confusione, - Disjunta et seperata, e disiare - L'un stato al altro sua destructione." - - Sad is the usage that Italia wastes - In ceaseless struggles, aye for separate ends; - Sever'd her states, and each on others' ills - Intent. - - "O mischinella - Italia! in te, acecata e disunita - Hor per dollor, te batte ogni mascella." - - Ah, poor and wretched Italy! all blind - And disunited, chattering thy jaws - In torments sad. - - "O instabil fortuna! che fai secco - Ogni arbor verde, quando te impiacere, - In un momento." - - Ah fickle fortune! which the greenest tree - Mayst in a moment wither at thy will. - -The following sentiments were likely to find little sympathy among -his contemporaries:-- - - "Il sfrenato desio che nel cor tiene - Di nuova signoria e altrui dominio - L'huom mai si satia; e pur morir conviene." - - Man ne'er his soul's unbridled lust can slake - Of further sovereignty, and wider sway; - Yet 'tis appointed him to die. - - "Che el facto d'arme se devea fare - Sol per due cose, e l'altre lassar gire: - L'uno e per lo avantagio singolare - E grande oltra misura; e in caso extremo - Si deve l'huomo a la fortuna dare." - - Twain are the pleas that justly may be urged - For armed aggression,--aggrandisement great - Beyond all calculation, or extreme - Necessity: nought else can justify - Such hazard of men's fortunes. - -A long and somewhat tedious chapter of moralities on the uncertain -tenure of life among princes, introduced after describing the -assassination of Galeazzo Maria Duke of Milan, in 1476, opens -finely:-- - - "Vedendo il breve e vil peregrinare - Che noi facciam per questo falso mondo, - Anzi un pugno di terra al ver narrare, - Dove, con tanto afanno e tanto pondo, - De di e nocte, e inextimabil cure, - Cerchiam sallire in alto e andamo al fondo. - Qual e quel si potente che asicure - Ogi la vita sua per l'altro giorno, - Tante son spesse et orende le sciagure?" - - Seeing how brief the pilgrimage and vile, - Whereby through this false world we wend our way, - A little earth our only heritage, - Where day and night, with pain and load of care - Incalculable, still we seek to soar, - Yet ever downward sink: where is the man - Potent to day, to-morrow's life to count, - So frequent its mishaps and horrible? - -The bland transition from a rigorous winter to balmy Italian spring -is thus apostrophised:-- - - "Intanto el verno - El mondo gia copria col fredo smalto; - E raro volte fu che el tempo iberno - Tanto terribile fusse, onde asvernarsi - Tucti ne andar, per fin che del inferno - Proserpina torno, per adornarsi - De vaghi fiori e de novelle fronde, - Cum lauree chiome al vento dolce sparsi." - - Winter meanwhile the far-spread world had clad - In cold enamel; rarely was it known - More rigid: gladly all the troops retired - To quarters, waiting Proserpine's return - On earth, with beauteous flowers bedecked, and leaves - Of freshest green, when in the gentle breeze - Should stream her laurel tresses. - -The poet's eloquent tribute to Florentine freedom, and its value to -the cause of liberty, must close our sparing extracts.[89] - - "Perche privato el popul Fiorentino - Della sua libertade, era cavare - Un occhio a Italia, e metterla al declino." - - For to curtail fair Florence of her freedom - Were to pluck forth an eye from Italy, - And cause her orb to wane. - -[Footnote 89: See others in vol. I., and _passim_ in Book II.; also -in IV. of the Appendix below.] - -In Sanzi's Chronicle we seek in vain for the riper beauties of -succeeding epics; but the flashes of poetry which it embodies are -not the less effective from their simple diction, nor from the -comparatively unpolished narrative which they adorn. - - * * * * * - -No. 699 of the Urbino MSS. contains the collected minor poems and -songs of ANGELO GALLI of Urbino, knight, and secretary to -Duke Federigo. They are three hundred and seventy-six in number, -all in Italian, and unedited, but beautifully transcribed on vellum -by Federigo Veterani. Although varied by the introduction of sacred -subjects, most of them are occasional amorous effusions, wherein -names of the Montefeltri, Malatesta, Sforza, and other Umbrian -families frequently occur. The dates affixed to them extend from -1428 to 1457. It appears that the author attended the Council of -Basle in 1442, and he is said by Crescimbeni to have survived until -1496. His mellowed versification is in general superior to that of -the age, while his trite and limited matter is pleasingly relieved -by many happy turns of thought and graces of language. Though unable -to supply any particulars of one who has almost escaped notice, we -give place to two specimens of his muse. His canzonet addressed to -Caterina, "the noble, beautiful, discreet, charming, gentle, and -generous Countess of Urbino," runs thus: - - "El mirabil splendor del tuo bel viso - Pusilanimo famme, a tanta parte - Che l'ingegno in tal carte - Non tangeria, s'il ver ch'io non errasse. - Forsa che la natura in paradiso - Per aiuto sali ad informarte, - E poi per divin arte - A gloria de se eterna giu te trasse. - Qual oro si micante s'aguagliasse - Cum sua chiareza a tui biondi capegli! - E gli occhi, ch'a vede gli - L'invidia affreccia el sol a ricolcarse. - Qual perle, qual coragli, al riso breve! - Le guance han sangue, spirto in bianca neve!" - -The other is upon Costanza Varana, wife of Alessandro Sforza, and -mother of Battista Countess of Urbino. - - "Che la sua faccia bella - Mostro d'inverno sempre primavera, - Real costume, aspetto di signora, - Viso di dea e d'angioli a favella. - - Ma questa donna, ch'a la mente diva, - Depinge di honesta omne suo gesto: - Non pur suo guardo honesto, - Ma li suo panni, gridan' pudicitia. - - Questa madonna e el mar' de tutto el senno - Renchiuso, e posto dentro da bel ciglio, - Chi vuol vecchio consiglio - Recinga ai teneri anni di costei. - - Mille viole e fiore - Sparge sopra la neve el suo bel viso; - E dolce del suo riso - Faria piatoso Silla a la vendetta, - E spontaria de Giove omne saetta." - -FEDERIGO VETERANI has been repeatedly mentioned as a -transcriber of MSS. for Duke Federigo, whom he also served as -librarian and secretary, besides being one of the judges at Urbino. -Those who have had occasion to examine the library formed by that -prince, are well acquainted with his beautiful autograph, and might -imagine his whole life to have been spent upon its fair volumes. One -of them, containing the Triumphs of Petrarch, No. 351, is subscribed -by him, with a memorandum that it was the last of about sixty volumes -he had written out before the death of Federigo, which he thus -deplores:-- - - "Fedrico Veterano fui, che scripse - Questo e molti altri, cum justa mercede, - Usando diligentia, amore et fede - Al Duca Federigo in sin ch'el vixe: - Le cui memorie sempre al mondo fixe - Sonno e seranno; e ben certo si crede, - Mentre sta el mondo e la natura in pede - Ch'ogni virtu dal cielo in lui venisse. - Quello mi piango, e mai ho 'l viso asciutto; - Quel chiamo, quel mi sogno, e quel mi stringo - Ai labri, sculpto in cara tavletta; - La qual, cosi machiata del mio lucto, - Adoro, honoro in verso, e vivo el fingo, - Per lenimento di mia vita abiecta."[90] - -[Footnote 90: See a translation of these lines, vol. I., p. 269.] - -But, in addition to his miscellaneous avocations, Veterani was a -copious versifier. Besides an epic, De Progenie Domus Feretranae, -there are other volumes of poetry, apparently his, remaining unedited -in the library,[91] of which he continued custodian until the reign -of Francesco Maria I. One of those beautiful manuscripts, the fair -vellum and gem-like illuminations of which have been the theme of -many a eulogy, contains the collected verses of Cristoforo Landini -and six other less-known poets of the fifteenth century. On the -concluding page, in a trembling and blotted hand, we read these -touching lines, the tribute of its lettered scribe to the temporary -eclipse of his sovereign's dynasty:[92]-- - - "1517. - - "FEDERICUS VETERANUS, URBINAS BIBLIOTHECARIUS, AD REI - MEMORIAM. - - "Ne careat lacrymis liber hic, post fata Feretri, - Hic me subscripsi, cumque dolore gravi. - Hunc ego jamdudum Federicus, stante Feretro, - Transcripsi, (gratus vel fuit ille mihi - Quem modo vel semper fas est lugere parentem, - Et dominum qui me nutriit,) atque diu - Pagina testis erit, lacrymis interlita multis, - Haec tibi, qui moesta haec carmina pauca legis. - Et si dissimilis conclusit littera librum, - Scriptorem ignarum me dolor ipse facit." - -[Footnote 91: Vat. Urb. MSS. No. 1293, 303, 699.] - -[Footnote 92: _Ibid._, No. 368, f. 188.] - -Among the minor fry slumbering unknown in the Vatican Library -is URBANI of Urbino, who left a few rude elegiac and complimentary -ditties in Latin or Italian upon members of the Montefeltrian line, -and compiled a confused account of their pedigree. We may also name -ANTONIO RUSTICO of Florence, whose _Panegiricon Comitis Federici_, -dedicated to him in 1472, contains above seven hundred Italian lines -of _terza rima_, unpolished in style, and in matter a mere tissue of -fatiguing verbiage. Scarcely more valuable is NALDIO'S account of the -Volterran campaign of 1572 in Latin verse, to which we have vainly -had recourse for new information on that obscure passage of our -memoirs.[93] - -[Footnote 93: These three works are Nos. 736, 743, and 373.] - - * * * * * - -While enumerating in our twenty-first chapter the celebrities of Duke -Guidobaldo's court, we mentioned Bernardo Accolti, and endeavoured -to explain the inadequacy of his published works to sustain his -contemporary reputation, by supposing that his strength lay in -extempore recitation. The high place which his vanity claimed, in -assuming "the Unique" as a surname, appears to have been freely -accorded by the most able of his contemporaries. Ariosto says of him, -not perhaps without a sneer at his notorious conceit,-- - - "The cavalier amid that band, whom they - So honour, unless dazzled in mine eye - By those fair faces, is the shining light - Of his Arezzo, and Accolti hight."[94] - -[Footnote 94: STEWART ROSE'S Translation, XLVI., 10.] - -Castiglione assigns him a prominent rank among the Urbino stars, -whilst Bembo and Pietro Aretino testify to his merits. We, however, -would try these by his surviving works, which, as Roscoe observes, -are fatal to his reputation, and which are indeed rather a beacon -than a model to succeeding genius. It is, therefore, unnecessary -to pause upon them, or to add here to our previous notice of their -author and his position at the Montefeltrian court. Nor was Accolti -the only poetaster who attained in that polished circle, or in other -Italian courtlets, a celebrity from which posterity has withheld -its seal. A solution of this success may perhaps be found in the -circumstance that many of these owed it either to personal popularity -or to their musical accomplishments. Thus SERAFINO D'AQUILA, -who either improviseed his verses, or chanted them to his own -accompaniment on the lute, was generally preferred to Petrarch. -He died at thirty-four, in 1500, after being sought by all the -petty sovereigns from Milan to Naples, and ere two generations had -passed away his poetry was utterly forgotten. So, too, AGOSTINO -STACCOLI of Urbino, whose sonnets delighted Duke Federigo, and -obtained for him a diplomatic mission to Rome in 1485, has been long -consigned to oblivion. - - * * * * * - -The older comedies of Italy become a subject of interest to us, for -one of the earliest was written by Bernardo Bibbiena, a friend of -Guidobaldo I.,[95] and was first performed in the palace of Urbino. -The revival of the comic drama may be traced to Ferrara; and, though -the pieces originally represented there before Duke Ercole I. were -translations from Plautus and Terence,[96] Ariosto made several -boyish attempts to vary the entertainment by dramatic compositions -of his own. This was just before 1500, and to about the same time -Tiraboschi ascribes the comedies of Machiavelli. There is thus -much probability that these attempts preceded the _Calandra_ of -Bibbiena, which has, however, been generally considered the oldest -regular comedy in the language. It seems also to have been the first -that attracted the notice of his patron Leo X., whose delight in -comic performances was excessive; and, although now superseded by -pieces more in accordance with the age, it long enjoyed a continued -popularity. Giovo celebrates its easy and acute wit, and the talent -of its mobile and merry author for scenic representation, which must -have greatly tended to ensure its success. It is doubtful in what -year it was played at the Vatican in presence of his Holiness, on -the visit of Isabella, Marchioness of Mantua, when the decorations -painted by Baldassar Peruzzi obtained unbounded applause. But this -probably happened after its performance at Urbino, which collateral -evidence discovered by Pungileone, has fixed as taking place in the -spring of 1513.[*97] This gorgeous entertainment, and the scenery -executed for it by Timoteo della Vite and Girolamo Genga, are -commemorated in a letter of Castiglione, which throws light upon the -manner of such festivities in that mountain metropolis. - -[Footnote 95: See above, pp. 65-69.] - -[Footnote 96: See these described, vol. I., App. xiii.] - -[Footnote *97: Cf. VERNARECCI, _Di Alcune Rappresentazioni -Drammatiche alla Corte d'Urbino nel 1513_ in the _Arch. St. per le -Marche e per l'Umbria_, vol. III., p. 181 _et seq._] - - "The scene was laid in an open space between a city-wall - and its farthest houses. From the stage downwards, there - was most naturally represented the wall, with two great - towers descending from the upper part of the hall, on one - of which were bagpipers, on the other trumpeters, with - another wall of fine proportion flanking them; thus the - hall figured as the town-ditch, and was traversed by two - walls to support the water. The side next the seats was - ornamented with Trojan cloth, over which there projected a - large cornice, with this Latin inscription, in great white - letters upon an azure ground, extending across that part of - the theatre:-- - - "'BOTH WARS ABROAD AND SPORTS AT HOME - GREAT CAESAR PATRONISED; - LIKE DOUBLE CARE BY MIGHTY MINDS - 'MONGST US SHOULD STILL BE PRIZED.' - - "To the roof were attached large bunches of evergreens, - almost hiding the ceiling; and from the centres of the - rosettes there descended wires, in a double row along - the room, each supporting a candelabrum in the form of - a letter, with eight or ten lighted torches, the whole - diffusing a brilliant light, and forming the words - POPULAR SPORTS. Another scene represented a - beautiful city, with streets, palaces, churches, towers, - all in relief, but aided by excellent painting and - scientific perspective. There was, among other things, - an octagon temple in half-relief, so perfectly finished - that the whole workmen of the duchy scarcely seemed equal - to produce it in four months; it was all covered with - compositions in stucco: the windows were of imitation - alabaster, the architraves and cornices of fine gold and - ultramarine, with here and there gems admirably imitated in - glass; besides fluted columns, figures standing out with - the roundness of sculpture, and much more that it would - be long to speak of. This was about in the middle; and at - one end there was a triumphal arch, projecting a couple - of yards from the wall, and as well done as possible, - with a capital representation of the Horatii, between - the architrave and the vault, painted to imitate marble. - In two small niches, above the pilasters that supported - the arch, there were tiny figures of Victory in stucco, - holding trophies, whilst over it an admirable equestrian - statue in full armour was spearing a naked man at his feet. - On either side of this group was a little altar, whereon - there blazed a vase of fire during the comedy. I need not - recapitulate all, as your Lordship will have heard of it; - nor how one of the comedies was composed by a child and - recited by children, shaming mayhap their seniors, for - they really played it astonishingly; and it was quite a - novelty to see tiny odd men a foot high maintaining all the - gravity and solemnity of a Menander. Nor shall I say aught - of the odd music of this piece, all hidden here and there, - but shall come to the _Calandra_ of our friend Bernardo, - which afforded the utmost satisfaction. As its prologue - arrived very late, and the person who should have spoken - failed to learn it, one by me was recited, which pleased - much: but little else was changed, except some scenes of - no consequence, which perhaps they could not repeat. The - interludes were as follows. First, a _moresca_ of Jason, - who came dancing on the stage in fine antique armour, - with a splendid sword and shield, whilst there suddenly - appeared on the other side two bulls vomiting forth fire, - so natural as to deceive some of the spectators. These - the good Jason approached, and yoking them to the plough, - made them draw it. He then sowed the dragon's teeth, and - forthwith there sprang up from the stage antique warriors - inimitably managed, who danced a fierce _moresca_, trying - to slay him; and having again come on, the each killed the - other, but were not seen to die. After them, Jason again - appeared, with the golden fleece on his shoulders, dancing - admirably. And this was the first interlude. In the second - there was a lovely car, wherein sat Venus with a lighted - taper in her hand; it was drawn by two doves, which seemed - absolutely alive, and on which rode a couple of Cupids - with bows and quivers, and holding lighted tapers; and it - was preceded and followed by eight more Cupids, dancing - a _moresca_ and beating about with their blazing lights. - Having reached the extremity of the stage, they set fire - to a door, out of which there suddenly leaped nine gallant - fellows all in flames, and danced another _moresca_ to - perfection. The third interlude showed Neptune on a chariot - drawn by two demi-horses with fish-scales and fins, so - well executed. Neptune sat on the top with his trident, - and eight monsters after him (or rather four of them - before and four behind) performing a sword-dance, the car - all the while full of fire. The whole was capitally done, - and the monsters were the oddest in the world, of which no - description can afford an idea. The fourth showed Juno's - car, also full of fire, and herself upon it, with a crown - on her head and a sceptre in her hand, seated on a cloud, - which spread around the car, full of mouths of the winds. - The chariot was drawn by two peacocks, so beautiful and - well managed that even I, who had seen how they were made, - was puzzled. Two eagles and as many ostriches preceded - it; two sea-birds followed, with a pair of parti-coloured - parrots. All these were so admirably executed that I verily - believe, my dear Monsignore, no imitation was ever so like - the truth; and they, too, went through a sword-dance with - indescribable, nay incredible, grace. The comedy ended, one - of the Cupids, whom we had already seen, suddenly appeared - on the stage, and in a few stanzas explained the meaning - of the interludes, which had a continued plot apart from - the comedy, as follows. There was, in the first place, - the battle of these earth-born brothers, showing, under - the fabulous allegory of Jason, how wars prevail among - neighbours who ought to maintain peace. Then came Love, - successively kindling with a holy flame men and earth, sea - and air, to chase away war and discord, and to unite the - world in harmony: the union is but a hope for the future; - the discord is, to our misfortune, a present fact. I had - not meant to send you the stanzas recited by the little - Love, but I do so; your Lordship will do with them what - you like. They were hastily composed whilst struggling - with painters, carpenters, actors, musicians, and ballet - dancers. When they had been spoken, and the Cupid was - gone, there was heard the invisible music of four viols, - accompanying as many voices, who sang, to a beautiful air, - a stanza of invocation to Love; and so the entertainment - ended, to the immense delight of all present. Had I not - so bepraised it in describing its progress, I might now - tell you the part I had in it, but I should not wish your - Lordship to fancy me an egotist. It were too good fortune - to be able to attend to such matters, to the exclusion of - more annoying ones: may God vouchsafe it me." - -Though much of this detail regards the accompanying entertainment -more than the comedy, it cannot be deemed out of place, as -illustrative of the way in which these were managed in a court where -we have frequent occasion to allude to such pastimes: the preceding -description fully explains the often-mentioned _moresca_, and almost -entitles us to translate that word by the better known French -_ballet_. The _Calandra_ continued to be played on select occasions -in Italy, and we hear of its being produced at Lyons in 1548, before -Catherine de' Medici and her husband, whose largess to the actors -exceeded 2500 crowns. - -This piece, though improved in incidents, is avowedly indebted -for its plot to the _Menecmo_ of Plautus, a comedy already -popular through a translation performed at Ferrara, in 1486-7, by -the children and courtiers of Ercole I., in a theatre built on -purpose within the palace-yard, and costing with its decorations -1000 ducats. In regard to its proper merits, no one can deny the -amusing complexity of the plot, the constant succession of absurd -mistakes among the personages, the ingenious contrivances by which -these are alternately occasioned and extricated, the bustle of the -entertainment, and the racy humour of the dialogue. In order to let -these be appreciated, an analysis larger than our space can permit -would be necessary, and neither the character nor the wit of the -piece could be preserved without introducing intrigues and language -repugnant to modern decency. Ginguene has conveyed a tolerable -idea of the comedy without greatly shocking the reader, but has -consequently suppressed much of its fun, and to his pages we must -refer for detail.[98] The story turns upon the adventures of twins, -a brother and sister, who, perfectly resembling in person, but -unknown to each other, are simultaneously parties to love intrigues, -carried on through the agency of a clever valet, and at the cost of a -drivelling husband (Calandro) in the course of which they frequently -interchange the dress and character of their respective sexes, a -magician being ever at hand to bear the blame of what appear physical -transmutations, and a double marriage of course happily solving all -embarrassments. Although unquestionably rich in the materials of -broad farce, it is evident that such a plot is but indifferently -adapted for embodying manners sketched from life. - -[Footnote 98: See also Panizzi's London edition of the _Orlando -Innamorato_ and the _Furioso_, vol. VI., p. 59.] - - * * * * * - -The corruption of morals in Italy during the golden age of her -literature and civilisation is a painful topic, but one naturally -suggested by these remarks, and which cannot with truth be entirely -thrown into the shade.[*99] It was especially developed in the -free gratification of passions to which an enervating climate -is considered peculiarly incentive, and which induce to amorous -indulgence. The due restraint of these was reckoned neither among -the virtues nor the decencies of life, nor was their licentious -exercise limited to persons of exalted station. The sad example set -in luxurious courts spread to classes whose sacred calling and vows -of continence rendered their lapses doubly disgraceful; and those -whose tastes and cultivated understandings were fitted for purer -and nobler pursuits wallowed without discredit in the slough of -sensuality. With such instances, even among the finest characters, -these pages render us unfortunately too familiar. Instead of -multiplying or repeating them, let us hear the calm admissions of a -late writer, whose evidence cannot be deemed partial on such a topic. -In talking of Bembo, the Italian translator of Roscoe's _Leo X._ thus -touches upon this delicate subject: "It must be observed that most -of the poets and writers of that age, although resident at Rome, -and dignified by prelacies, preferments, and offices of the Church, -were infected with the like vices, or, as some would express it, -tarred with the same pitch. The spirit of that court, the manners of -these times, the licence of ideas among literary men, their constant -reading of ancient poets not always commendable for modesty, the -long established and uniform intercourse of the Muses with Bacchus -and Venus, the fatal example afforded by certain cardinals, and -even by several of the papal predecessors of Leo, whose children -were publicly acknowledged ... all these considerations show how -difficult it was at such an epoch, and especially in the capital of -Christendom, to continue exempt from corruption and licentiousness." - -[Footnote *99: This hardly needs comment: it has become universally -accepted as the truth. The _Prediche Volgari_ of Fra Bernardino -afford ample evidence, as do the _Novelle_ generally. I shall -therefore confine myself to referring to two English writers who have -treated of this subject: WILLIAM HEYWOOD, _The Ensamples of -Fra Filippo_ (Siena, 1902), pp. 118, 122 _et seq._ and 295 _et seq._, -who gives an infinite number of authorities and is exhaustive in his -evidence; VERNON LEE, _Euphorion_ (Fisher Unwin, 1899), pp. -25-109, who treats of it in two essays, _The Sacrifice_ and _The -Italy of the Elizabethan Dramatist_, with exquisite understanding and -the wide tolerance of a poet. Nothing is to be gained by going into -this subject so casually as Dennistoun does. He speaks of the Italian -genius without understanding either its strength or its weakness. He -judges Machiavelli, for instance, or Cesare Borgia, as one might have -judged an Englishman of the depressing age he himself lived in, and -thus his judgment is at fault in regard to nearly every great man of -whom he writes.] - -In no language, perhaps, does there exist a jest-book more -disgustingly prurient or so full of sacrilegious ribaldry as -the _Facetiae_ of Poggio Bracciolini. Were such a work published -now-a-days, the author would be hooted from society, and the printer -laid hold of as a common nuisance. Though the parties to above half -its obscene anecdotes are from the clergy or the monastic orders, -there occurs throughout the foul volume no word of blame nor burst -of indignation. Yet it was compiled for publication by a priest, -the confidential secretary of pontiffs, and one of the stars of a -literary age. If more direct evidence of dissolute habits among the -clergy be required, it will be found in the reports of P. Ambrogio -Traversari on his disciplinarian circuits among the Camaldolese -convents, of which he was general from 1431 to 1434.[100] It would -be loathsome to enter upon the details, but a generally lax morality -among those specially devoted to religious profession must be -considered as at once the occasion and the effect of much social -perversion. The poison disseminated from such a quarter was sure -to pervade all ranks, and the standard of public decency must have -sunk low indeed ere monastic debauchery ceased to create universal -scandal. When churchmen had become very generally latitudinarians in -theology and libertines in morals, the corruption of their flocks -need be no matter of surprise. It was in the beginning of the -sixteenth century that these evils had reached their height, and -the miseries of foreign invasion under the Medicean popes were even -then regarded by many as judicial inflictions from Heaven. Hence was -it, that, although Italy was supereminent among nations, although -illustrated by the triumphs of mind, adorned by the productions of -genius, and enriched by the gains of intelligent enterprise, she was -nevertheless deficient in moral power, and when tried in the furnace -of adversity was found wanting. With institutions whose freedom had -no longer vitality, with rulers intent only on selfish ends, and with -citizens relaxed in principle and knit by no common political ties, -the very advantages lavished upon her by nature and civilisation -proved her bane, attracting spoilers whom she was powerless to -resist. Melancholy is the thought that all her mental superiority -was ineffectual for her defence; but yet more humiliating the fact -that those on whom nature's best gifts were showered, and who were -foremost as protectors of literature and the arts, were often, by -their fatal example, chief promoters of the general demoralisation. -No wonder then that she fell, and in her fall presented a signal -lesson to future times "of the impotence of human genius and of the -instability of human institutions, however excellent in themselves, -when unsustained by public and private virtue."[101] - -[Footnote 100: Hodoeporicon and Epistola, _passim_.] - -[Footnote 101: PRESCOTT'S _Ferdinand and Isabella_.] - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - - Mediaeval art chiefly religious--Innovations of Naturalism, - Classicism, and Paganism--character and tendencies of - Christian painting ill understood in England--influence of - St. Francis--Mariolatry. - - -In order to comprehend the peculiar tendency which painting assumed -in Umbria, it will be necessary briefly to examine the principles -and history of what is now generally known under the denomination of -CHRISTIAN ART.[*102] Until after the revival of European -civilisation, painting had scarcely any other direction than -religious purposes. For household furniture and decoration, its -luxuries were unheard of; the delineation of nature in portraits -and landscapes was unknown. But pictorial representations had -been employed for embellishment of churches from the recognition -of Christianity by the Emperors of the West, and they had assumed -a conventional character, derived chiefly from rude tracings in -which the uncultivated limners of an outcast sect had long before -depicted Christ, his Mother, and his apostles, for the solace of -those whose proscribed creed drove them to worship in the catacombs. -When these delineations, originally cherished as emblems of faith, -had been employed as the adjuncts, and eventually perverted into -the objects of devotion, they acquired a sacred character which -it was the tendency of ever-spreading superstition continually to -exaggerate. They became, in fact, the originals of those pictures -which in subsequent ages were adopted as part and portion of the -Roman worship; and forms, which they derived perhaps from the -fancy or caprice of their inventors, came to be the received types -to which all orthodox painters were bound to adhere.[*103] The -means adopted for repeating them were enlarged or narrowed by -various circumstances; the success with which they were imitated -fluctuated with the advance or decline of taste. But whether traced -upon the tablets of ivory diptychs, or blazoned in the pages of -illuminated missals; whether depicted on perishable ceilings, -or fixed in unfading mosaics; whether degraded by the unskilful -daubing and spiritless mechanism of Byzantine artists,[*104] or -refined by the holier feeling and improved handling of the Sienese -and Umbrian schools,--the original types might still be traced. -Indeed, those traditionary forms were as little subjected to -modification by painters as the dogmas of faith were open to the -doubts of commentators. Heterodoxy on either point was liable to -severe denunciation, and pictorial novelties were interdicted by -the Church, not as absolutely wrong, but as liable to abuse from -the eccentricities of human fancy.[105] It was in Spain, the -land of suspicion and priestcraft, that such jealousy was chiefly -entertained, and the censorship of the fine arts there became in the -sixteenth century a special duty of the Holy Office. - -[Footnote *102: I have not deleted these pages partly because it has -been thought better to give the whole text as nearly as possible as -Dennistoun wrote it, and partly too because they serve to show that -Dennistoun was in advance of the general taste of his day in England. -But, of course, the whole of our knowledge about Italian art has -been revolutionized since he wrote. It is almost hopeless to try to -annotate these pages. To begin with, the author is dealing with a -subject of which even to-day we know very little. And then Urbino -seems to have had almost nothing to do with the rise of the Umbrian -school of painting. The reader must therefore accept with care every -statement which follows.] - -[Footnote *103: This is true in a sense, but the work in the -catacombs and the mosaics (III. cent.) in S. Maria Maggiore, for -instance, are based on classic models, and are often very excellent -and beautiful.] - -[Footnote *104: The Byzantine work was not always "unskilful," only -its intention seems to have been rather decorative than realistic, -yet in _S. Maria Antigua_, for instance, we can see the models were -classical.] - -[Footnote 105: A large picture of the Glorification of the Madonna, -long placed in the Belle Arti at Florence, was painted by Sandro -Botticelli for Matteo Palmieri, who, in his Dantesque poem entitled -_La Citta della Vita_, has advanced a theory that, in Lucifer's -rebellion, a certain number of angels assumed a neutral attitude, -as a punishment for which they were doomed to a term of trial in -the quality of human souls. Although never printed, this work was -solemnly condemned by the Inquisition after the author's death, -and the picture, which had been composed under his own direction, -fell under similar suspicion of heresy. On a rigid examination, the -censors having discovered a sort of fullness in the draped bosoms -of some angels, pronounced them females, and for this breach of -orthodoxy denounced the painting. It was accordingly covered up, -and the chapel where it hung in S. Pietro Maggiore was for a time -interdicted; but, having escaped destruction, it was offered for -sale a few years ago by the heirs of Palmieri. The opportunity -for procuring for our national collection a most interesting and -characteristic example of early art was as usual lost; but it was -brought to England by Mr. Samuel Woodburn in 1846, and has now found -a resting-place at Hamilton Palace, in one of the few collections of -art which contain nothing common-place or displeasing.[*B]] - -[Footnote *B: This picture, now in the National Gallery [No. 1126] is -by Botticini, not Botticelli.] - -With the aid of authorities thus deduced through an unbroken chain -from primitive times,--to conceive and embody abstractions "which -eye hath not seen nor ear heard," was reckoned no rash meddling -with sacred mysteries. On the contrary, the subjects almost -exclusively selected for the exercise of Christian art, belonged to -the fundamental doctrines of Christian faith, to the traditional -dogmas of the Church, to the legendary lives of the Saviour and of -saints, or to the dramatic sufferings of early martyrs. Such were -the transfiguration, the passion, the ascension of our Lord; the -conception, the coronation, and the _cintola_ of the Madonna[106]; -the birth and marriage of the Blessed Virgin; the miracles performed -by popular saints, the martyrdoms in which they sealed their -testimony. The choice, and occasionally the treatment, of these -topics was modified to meet the spiritual exigences of the period, -or the circumstances of the place, but ever in subservience to -conventional standards derived from remote tradition. Thus we detect, -in works of the Byzantine period, rigid forms, harsh outlines, -soulless faces; in the schools of Siena and Umbria, pure figures lit -up by angelic expressions; in the followers of Giotto, a tendency to -varied movement and dramatic composition. - -[Footnote 106: The Gospel account of St. Thomas's doubtings finds a -counterpart in the Roman legend of the Madonna, after her interment, -being seen by him during her corporeal transit to heaven; whereupon, -his wonted caution having led him to "ask for a sign," she dropped -him her girdle or _cintola_, which he carried to the other apostles -in proof of his marvellous tale; and the fact of her assumption was -verified by their opening her tomb and finding it empty.] - -There is yet another reason for what to the uninitiated may seem -monstrosities. The old masters had not generally to represent men -and women in human form, but either prophets, saints, and martyrs, -whom it was their business to embody, not in their "mortal coil," -but in the purer substance of those who had put on immortality; or -the Mother of Christ, exalted by mariolatry almost to a parity with -her Son; or the "Ancient of Days,"--the personages of the Triune -Divinity with their attendant heavenly host, whom to figure at all -was a questionable licence, and who, if impersonated, ought surely -to seem other than the sons and daughters of men. Of such themes -no conception could be adequate, no approximation otherwise than -disappointing; and those who were called upon to deal with them -usually preferred painting images suggested by their own earnest -devotional thoughts, to the more difficult task of idealising human -models. Addressing themselves to the spirit rather than to the eye, -they sought to delineate features with nought of "the earth, earthy," -expressions purified from grovelling interests and mundane ties. - -How much this religious art depended for its due maintenance upon -the personal character of those whose business it was to embody and -transmit to a new generation its lofty inspirations, can scarcely -require demonstration. That they were men of holy minds is apparent -from their works. Some, by long poring over the mystic incarnations -which they sought to represent; others, by deep study of the pious -narratives selected for their pencils; many, by the abstraction of -monastic seclusion, brought their souls to that pitch of devotional -enthusiasm, which their pictures portray far better than words can -describe. The biographies that remain of the early painters of Italy -fully bear out this fact; and of many instances that might be given -we shall select three from various places and periods. - -Of the early Bolognese school, Vitale and his pupil Lippo di Dalmasio -were each designed _delle Madonne_, from their formally devoting -themselves to the exclusive representation of her - - "Who so above all mothers shone, - The mother of the Blessed One." - -So far indeed did the latter of these carry enthusiastic mysticism, -that he never resumed his labours without purifying his imagination -and sanctifying his thoughts by a vigil of austere fasting, and by -taking the blessed sacrament in the morning. In like manner did one -of his comrades gain the appellation of Simon of the crucifixes. A -century later, Gentile Bellini painted three of his noblest works for -a confraternity in Venice, who possessed a relic of the True Cross, -and chose for his subject various miracles ascribed to its influence. -Refusing all remuneration, he affixed this touching record of his -pious motives: "The work of Gentile Bellini, a knight of Venice, -instigated by affection for the Cross, 1496." Similar anecdotes might -be quoted of Giovanni da Fiesole, better known in Italy as Beato -Angelico, whose life and pencil may well be termed seraphic, and to -whom we shall again have occasion to allude; while parallel cases -of a later date are found in Spain, where religion, and religious -fervour, influenced by the self-mortification of dark fanatics and -dismal ascetics, generally assumed less attractive forms. - -A Christian ideal was thus the aim of the early masters; and -most surviving works of the Umbrian and Sienese schools carry in -themselves ample evidence of intensely serious sentiment animating -their authors. But to those who have not enjoyed opportunities of -observing this peculiar characteristic of a style of art almost -unknown in England, it may be acceptable to trace the same spirit -in a language legible by eyes unaccustomed to the delicacies of -pictorial expression. This confirmation is found in the rules -adopted by guilds of painters, incorporated in different towns of -Italy, which are upon this point more important, as proving how -entirely devotional feeling was systematised, instead of being left -to the accident of individual inspiration. The statutes of the -Sienese fraternity, confirmed in 1357, are thus prefaced: "Let the -beginning, middle, and end of our words and actions be in the name of -God Almighty, and of his Mother, our Lady the Virgin Mary! Whereas -we, by the grace of God, being those who make manifest to rude and -unlettered men the marvellous things effected by, and in virtue of, -our holy faith; and our creed consisting chiefly in the worship and -belief of one God in Trinity, and of God omnipotent, omniscient, and -infinite in love and compassion; and as nothing, however unimportant, -can have beginning or end without these three necessary ingredients, -power, knowledge, and right good-will; and as in God only consists -all high perfection; let us therefore anxiously invoke the aid of -divine grace, in order that we may attain to a good beginning and -ending of all our undertakings, whether of word or work, prefacing -all in the name and to the honour of the MOST HOLY TRINITY. -And since spiritual things are, and should be, far preferable and -more precious than temporal, let us commence by regulating the fete -of our patron, the venerable and glorious St Luke," &c. Several -subsequent rules relate to the observance of other festivals, whereof -fifty-seven are enjoined to be strictly kept without working, a -number which, added to Sundays and Easter holidays, monopolises for -sacred purposes nearly a third of the year.[107] The Florentine -statutes, dated about twenty years earlier, direct that all who come -to enrol themselves in the Company of painters, whether men or -women, shall be penitent and confessed, or at least shall purpose -to confess themselves at the earliest opportunity; that they shall -daily repeat five paternosters, and as many aves, and shall take the -sacrament at least once a year.[108] Nor let these be regarded as -mere unmeaning phrases, or as the vapid lip-service of a formalist -faith. The ceremonial observances of an age in which the Roman -Church was indeed Catholic cannot fairly be judged by a Protestant -standard, yet few, who have seen with intelligence the productions of -those painters, will doubt that they were men of piety and prayer. -A vestige of the same holy feeling hung over artists, even after it -had ceased to animate their efforts; the forms survived, when the -spirit had fled. Thus, "On Tuesday morning, the 11th of June 1573, -at eleven in the forenoon, Giorgio Vasari began to paint the cupola -of the cathedral at Florence; and, before commencing, he had a Mass -of the Holy Spirit celebrated at the altar of the sacrament, after -hearing which he entered upon the work."[109] Vasari was a religious -man; but the favourite painter of a dissolute court could scarcely be -a religious artist, nor could the pupil of Michael Angelo appreciate -the quiet pathos or feel the gentle fervour of earlier and more -spiritualised times. - -[Footnote 107: _Carteggio d'Artisti_, II., p. 1.] - -[Footnote 108: _Carteggio d'Artisti_, II., p. 33.] - -[Footnote 109: _Ibid._, III., p. 352.] - -In Spain, where art was always in the especial service of the -priesthood, and not unfrequently subservient to priestcraft, religion -was a requisite of painters to a much later date. The rules of the -academy established at Seville by Murillo, in 1658, imposed upon each -pupil an ejaculatory testimony of his faith in, and devotion for, -the blessed sacrament and immaculate conception.[110] But whilst the -piety of the Sienese and Florentine guilds was an inherent sentiment -of their age, willingly adopted by professional etiquette, that of -the Iberian artists in the sixteenth century was regulated by the -Inquisition, and savoured of its origin. The former was joyous as the -bright thoughts of youthful enthusiasm springing in a land of beauty; -the latter shadowed the grave and sombre temperament of the nation -by austerities congenial to the Holy Office. Hence the religious -paintings of Spain, appealing to the spectator's terrors rather than -to his sympathies, revelled in the horrible, eschewing as a snare -those lovely forms which in Italy were encouraged as conducive to -devotion. - -[Footnote 110: STIRLING'S _Annals of the Artists of Spain_, -p. 848.] - -Yet, if the genius of early painters was hampered, and the effect -of their creations impaired, by prescribed symbols and conventional -rules, they were not without countervailing advantages. A limited -range of forms did not always imply poverty of ideas, nor was -simplicity inconsistent with sublimity. Those, accordingly, who look -with intelligence upon pictures, which, to the casual glance of an -uninformed spectator, are mere rude and monstrous representations, -will often recognise in them a grandeur of sentiment, and a majesty -of expression, altogether wanting in more matured productions, -wherein truth to nature is manifested through unimportant -accessories, or combined with trivial details. Familiarity is -notoriously conducive to contempt; and to associate the grander -themes and dogmas of holy writ with multiplied adjuncts skilfully -borrowed from ordinary life, is to detract from the awe and mystery -whereof they ought to be especially suggestive. - -But here it may be well to premise that, our observations upon -Christian art being purely aesthetical, it forms no part of our plan -to analyse its influences in a doctrinal view, or to discuss the -Roman system of teaching religion to the laity, by attracting them -to devotional observances through pictures and sculpture, to the -exclusion of the holy scriptures; still less to raise any controversy -regarding the incidents or tenets thus usually inculcated. We, -therefore, pause not to inquire how far the Roman legends--often -beautifully suggestive of truth, but how frequently redolent of fatal -error!--have originated in art, or been corrupted by its creations. -One danger of teaching by pictures is obvious; for where the eye -is offered but a few detached scenes, without full explanation of -their attendant circumstances and connecting links, very imperfect -impressions and false conclusions may result. Under such a system, -figurative representation will often be literally interpreted, -symbols will be mistaken for facts, dreams for realities; and thus -have the fertile imaginations of artists and commentators mutually -reacted upon each other, until historical and spiritual truth is -lost in a maze of allegory and fable, and error has been indelibly -ingrafted upon popular faith. The dim allegories of early art have -accordingly been overlaid by crude inventions, or obscured by gross -ignorance and enthusiastic mysticism. Religious truth being thus -misstated, or its symbols misread, those who thirsted for the waters -of life were repelled by tainted streams, and hungry souls were -mocked by stones for bread. It ought, however, to be constantly borne -in mind that we are dealing with times when the authority of Rome was -absolute throughout Europe; and that, whatever may now be alleged -against the dogmas or legends embodied by early artists, they were -then universally received. For our purpose they ought, therefore, -to be examined by the light then enjoyed, not by that shed upon -them in after times of gospel freedom. Neither ought we to forget -the impressionable qualities of a southern people, when disposed to -question the tendencies of religious instruction through the senses -and the imagination. And, granting that it is well to employ such -means, the mute eloquence of an altar-picture, or a reliquary, though -less startling than impassioned pulpit appeals, less thrilling than -choral voices sustained by the organ's impressive diapason, had the -advantages of being accessible at all hours to devout visitors, and -of demanding from them no sustained attention. - - * * * * * - -Such was Christian art in Italy during the fourteenth century, when -it was destined to undergo very considerable modifications. As yet -it had been exercised almost exclusively for decorating churches -and monastic buildings with extensive works intended to nourish or -revive devotion in the masses who resorted to them. In ages when the -intelligence capable of ordering these works was almost limited to -convents, and when it was only from such representations that the -unlettered eye could convey impressions to the mind of the laity, -Christian paintings were an effective adjunct to Christian preaching -and devotional exercises. But, as the dark cloud began to roll away -before the dawn of modern cultivation, mankind awoke to new wants. No -longer content with the pittance of religious knowledge which their -spiritual guides doled out to them, they sought to secure a store for -their own uncontrolled use. Those who could vanquish the difficulties -of reading, found in their office-books a continuation of the church -services; the less educated placed by their bed, or in their domestic -chapel, a small devotional picture, as a substitute for the larger -representations which invoked them to holy feelings in the house -of God. Thus there arose a general desire for objects of sacred -art. The privilege assumed by all who wished for such, of ordering -them in conformity with their individual feelings or superstitions, -quickly introduced greater latitudinarianism as to the selection -and treatment of the subjects. The demand so created exceeded the -productive powers of such painters as had been regularly initiated -into the language of form, according to the settled conventionalities -of their sanctified profession. The chain of pictorial tradition was -snapped, when a host of new competitors entered the field, free from -its trammels. But the public taste had been too long and thoroughly -imbued with a uniform class of religious compositions to relish any -great innovations; and although historical painting began to find -a place in the palace-halls of the princes and republics of Italy, -works commissioned by private persons continued almost exclusively of -a sacred cast. Thus for a time was the new path little frequented. -Artists felt their way with caution, unaware of the direction -whither it might lead them; timid of their own powers, doubtful of -their influence on the public. They contented themselves at first -with enlarging the range of subjects, or with varying the pose of -the actors. Fearing to abandon traditional types, they ventured not -beyond the addition of accessories, such as architecture, landscape, -animals, fruits, and flowers, or a disposal of the draperies with -greater freedom and attention to truth. But, the further they -departed from received forms, the more willingly did their genius -pluck by the way those graceful aids and appliances which spontaneous -nature offered in a land of beauty; and every new combination which -that awakened genius inspired, induced, and to a certain extent -authorised, fresh novelties. - -The modifications thus introduced have been distinguished in modern -phrase by the term naturalism, in contradistinction to those -traditional forms and spiritualised countenances which constitute -the mysticism of mediaeval art. It would lead us too far from -our subject to trace the progress of naturalism from such early -symptoms as we have indicated, until portraits, at first interponed -as donors of the picture, or as spectators of its incident, were -habitually selected as models for the most sacred personages. That -the adaptation of nature to the highest purposes of art, by skilful -selection and by judicious idealisation, is the noblest object which -pictorial genius can keep in view for its inventions will scarcely -be contested. But another consideration, inherent in the axioms of -the mystic school, was too often lost sight of by the naturalists. -The portraiture of criminal or even vulgar life, in deeply religious -works, is an outrage upon all holy feeling, whether in the example of -Alexander VI., who commanded Pinturicchio to introduce into one of -the Vatican frescoes his own portrait, kneeling before the ascending -Redeemer;[111] or in the case of those painters in Rome whose -favourite model for the Saviour has of late years been a cobbler, -hence known in the streets by the blasphemous name of Jesus Christ. - -[Footnote 111: Roscoe, who wrote without an opportunity of seeing -these paintings, describes this Pope as kneeling in his pontificals -before the Madonna, in whom is portrayed his mistress, Julia Farnese. -In this palpable blunder he has been followed by Rio and others. It -would be curious to discover on what authority Gordon, in his life -of Borgia, states that a likeness of La Vanosia, another of his -mistresses, hung for Madonna-worship in the church of the Popolo at -Rome. The circumstance coming from such a quarter is questionable; at -all events, it is no longer true. Alexander kneels before the Risen, -not the Ascending Christ. *Roscoe followed Vasari.] - -To the naturalism which became gradually prevalent in most Italian -schools after the beginning of the fourteenth century, there was, -in the fifteenth, added another principle of antagonism to mystic -feeling. In purist nomenclature it has been denominated paganism, but -it seems to consist of paganism and classicism. By the former is to -be understood that fashion for the philosophy, morality, literature, -and mythology of ancient Greece and Rome, which, introduced from -the recovered authors of antiquity, was assiduously cultivated by -the Medici in their lettered but sceptical court, until it left a -stamp on the literature and art of Italy not yet effaced. Under its -influence, the vernacular language was neglected, or cramped into -obsolete models; dead tongues monopolised students; the doctrines of -Aristotle and Plato divided men, clouding their faith, and warping -their morals from Christian standards; the beauty of holiness -yielded before an ideal of form; and that unction which had purified -the conceptions and guided the pencils of devotional painters, -evaporated as they strove to master the technical excellences of the -new manner. To the maxims and principles of revived pagan antiquity, -the philosophic Schlegel has traced the selfish policy and morals of -Italian tyrants and communities; but it seems easier to detect their -fatal tendency in painting and sculpture than upon statecraft and -manners. - -Classicism, as here used, means that innovation of antique taste in -art which arose out of renewed interest in the picturesque ruins of -Rome, in her mighty recollections, in the excavation of her precious -sculptures, and which imparted to pictorial representations sometimes -a hard and plastic treatment, sometimes ornamental architecture, -bas-reliefs, or grotesques. By paganism a blighting poison was -infused through the spirit of art, while classicism has often -ennobled the work and enriched its details, without injury to its -sentiment. To schools such as those of Florence and Padua, wherein -nature or classic imitation prevailed, there belonged the materialism -of facts, the severity of definite forms.[*112] These qualities -obtained favour from men of mundane pursuits and literary tastes; -from citizens greedy after gainful commerce and devoted to political -intrigue; or from princes who patronised, and pedants who deciphered, -long forgotten, but at length reviving lore. The "new manner," as -it was called, had, in Michael Angelo, a supporter whose mighty -genius lent to its solecisms an irresistible charm. Yet against such -innovations protests were long occasionally recorded. An anonymous -writer, in 1549, mentions a _Pieta_, said to have been designed -by "Michael Angelo Buonarroti, that inventor of filthy trash, who -adheres to art without devotion. Indeed, all the modern painters and -sculptors, following the like Lutheran [that is, impious] caprices -now-a-days, neither paint nor model for consecrated churches anything -but figures that distract one's faith and devotion; but I hope that -God will one day send his saints to cast down such idolatries."[113] -In a land where mythology had slowly been supplanted by revelation, -especially in a city successively the capital of paganism and -Christianity, these influences were necessarily in frequent -antagonism, or in forced and unseemly juxtaposition. Whilst art -thus lost in sentiment, it gained in vigour; and although classic -taste and the study of antique sculpture unquestionably tarnished -its mystical purity, may they not have preserved it from the fate -of religious painting in Spain, which, debarred by the Inquisition -from access to nude models, and elevated by no refined standard, -oscillated between the extremes of gloomy asceticism and grovelling -vulgarity? The paganism of the Medici and Michael Angelo scared away -the seraphic visions of monastic limners, but it also rescued Italy -from religious prudery, and saved men from addressing their orisons -to squalid beggars.[*114] - -[Footnote *112: For instance, in the work of Botticelli, I suppose, -or Verrocchio, or Mantegna?] - -[Footnote 113: GAYE, _Carteggio_, II., 500.] - -[Footnote *114: Can this be an allusion to S. Francesco of Assisi?] - -The brief sketch which we have thus introduced of the progress -and tendency of Christian art, may be fittingly concluded by the -definition of it supplied by Baron v. Rumohr, one of the laborious, -learned, and felicitous expositors of mediaeval art whom the reviving -taste of later times produced. "It is consecrated to religion alone; -its object is sometimes to induce the mind to the contemplation of -sacred subjects, sometimes to regulate the passions, by awakening -those sentiments of peace and benevolence which are peculiar to -practical Christianity." To narrate its extinction in the sixteenth -century, speedily followed by the decline of all that was noblest in -artistic genius, is a task on which we are not now called to enter. -We approached the subject because, in the mountains of Umbria, that -mystic school long maintained its chief seat; because there its -types sank deepest into the popular mind; and because it reached its -culminating point of perfection and glory in RAFFAELE of -URBINO. - -We are fully and painfully aware how opposed some of these views -are to the received criticism and popular practice of art in -England; but it were beyond our purpose to inquire into the many -causes which combine to render our countrymen averse from the -impartial study, as well as to the even partial adoption of them. -Hogarth, the incarnation of our national taste in painting, saw in -those spiritualised cherubim which usually minister to the holiest -compositions of the Umbrian school, only "an infant's head with a -pair of duck's wings under its chin, supposed always to be flying -about and singing psalms."[115] The form conveyed by the eye, and the -description of it traced by the pen, are here in accurate unison. -Alas! how hopelessly blinded the writer's mental vision. As directly -opposed to such grovelling views, and contrasting spiritual with -material perceptions of art, it may not be out of place here to cite -a passage from Savonarola, whose stern genius gladly invoked the muse -of painting to aid his moral and political reformations. "Creatures -are beautiful in proportion as they participate in and approximate -the beauty of their creator; and perfection of bodily form is -relative to beauty of mind. Bring hither two women equally perfect in -person; let one be a saint, the other a sinner. You shall find that -the saint will be more generally loved than the sinner, and that on -her all eyes will be directed." - -[Footnote 115: Our reference to this quotation (made long ago) has -been mislaid, but it appears perfectly consistent with Hogarth's -habitual train of ideas, and quaint rendering of them. See -IRELAND'S _Hogarth Illustrated_, I., p. lxix.; II., p. 194, -195; III., p. 226-40. NICHOL'S _Anecdotes of Hogarth_, p. -137. In his plate of Enthusiasm Delineated, he has actually appended -a pair of duck's legs to a cherub.] - -These quotations illustrate two extremes,--ribald vulgarity on -the one hand, and transcendental mysticism on the other, between -which the standard of sound criticism may be sought. It would be -as unreasonable to suppose Hogarth capable of comprehending or -appreciating the fervid conceptions of Christian art, as to look -for sympathy from Savonarola, with his pot-house personifications. -Each of those styles has its peculiar merit, which cannot fairly be -considered with reference to the other: they differ in this among -many respects,--that whilst English caricatures and Dutch familiar -scenes are addressed to the most uncultivated minds, Umbrian or -Sienese paintings can be understood only after long examination and -elevated thought. The former, therefore, gratify the unintelligent -many, the latter delight an enlightened few. - -The difficulty of justly appreciating this branch of aesthetics is -greater among ourselves than is generally imagined, as our best -authorities have entirely misled us, from themselves overlooking -its true bent. More alive to the naturalism and technical merits -of painting than to subtleties of feeling and expression, they are -neither conscious of the aims nor aware of the principles of purist -art. They look for perfection where only pathos should be sought. -Burnet, a recent and valuable writer, considers Barry "one of those -noble minds ruined by a close adherence to the dry manner of the -early masters," an analogy which cannot but surprise those who -compare the respective works of those thus brought unconsciously into -contrast. Even Sir Joshua Reynolds was not exempt from prejudice on -this point, for he sneers at the first manner of Raffaele as "dry -and insipid," and avers that until Masaccio, art was so barbarous, -"that every figure appeared to stand upon his toes." There is but one -explanation applicable to assertions thus inconsistent at once with -fact and with sound criticism, in a writer so candid and generally -so careful. Living in an age devoid of Catholic feeling (we employ -the phrase in an aesthetic sense), which classed in the same category -of contempt all painting before Michael Angelo, and speaking of -"an excellence addressed to a faculty which he did not possess," -he assumed, without observation or inquiry, that "the simplicity -of the early masters would be better named penury, as it proceeds -from mere want,--from want of knowledge, want of resources, want -of abilities to be otherwise; that it was the offspring, not of -choice, but of necessity." No argument is required to convince those -who have impartially studied these masters, that a condemnation so -sweeping is erroneous. In our day, the number of such persons is -happily increasing, but there are still many impediments to a candid -appreciation of the subject. So long as art was the handmaid of -religion, its professors were ranked almost with those who ministered -in the temple, and interpreted the records of inspiration. In absence -of priests, their works became guides to popular devotion, and -consequently were addressed to spectators who came to worship, not -to criticise; whose credulous enthusiasm was nourished by yearnings -of the heart, not by the cold judgment of the eye. How different the -test applied by men who look upon such paintings as popish dogmas -which it is a duty to repudiate, it may be to ridicule! How futile -the perhaps more common error of trying them by the matured rules -of pictorial execution, apart from their object and intention! -Connoisseurship in painting, especially in England, has indeed too -long consisted in a mere appreciation of its technical difficulties, -and perception of their successful treatment. For it was not until -Raffaele had attained grace, and Michael Angelo had mastered -design,--until Correggio had blended light and shade into happy -effect, and Titian had taught the gorgeous hues of his palette to -mingle in harmony, that such perfections were looked for, or reduced -to a standard. Why, then, apply such standard to works already old -ere it had been adopted? The very imperfections of general treatment, -the absence of linear perspective and anatomical detail, tended to -develop what should be chiefly sought and most valued in these early -productions; for the artist's time was thus free to elaborate the -heads and extremities, until he gave them that grace and expression -which constitutes their interest and their charm. - -There are, however, no longer wanting writers in England, as well as -in Germany, France, and Italy, to appreciate their lofty motives, -and solemn feelings, and gentle forms. In the words of Ruskin, -whose earnest and true thoughts are often most happily expressed, -"the early efforts of Cimabue and Giotto are the burning messages -of prophecy, delivered by the stammering lips of infants," but they -are unintelligible to "the multitude, always awake to the lowest -pleasures which art can bestow, and dead to the highest," for -their beauties "can only be studied or accepted in the particular -feeling that produced them." Under the modest title of _Sketches_ -Lord Lindsay has enriched our literature with the best history of -Christian art as yet produced. He has brought to his task that -sincerity of purpose, veneration for sacred things, and lively -sense of beauty, which impart a charm to all he puts forth; and he -has peculiarly qualified himself for its successful performance, -by an anxious study of preceding writers, by a faithful, often -toilsome, examination of monuments, even in the more obscure sites -of Italy, and by a candour and accuracy of criticism seldom attained -on topics singularly liable to prejudice. Public intelligence and -taste must improve under such direction, notwithstanding passing -sneers at "his narrow notions of admiring the faded and soulless -attempts at painting of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries," -or sapient conclusions that "the antiquities and curiosities of -the early Italian painters would only infect our school with a -retrograding mania of disfiguring art, and returning to the decrepit -littleness of a period warped and tortured by monkish legends and -prejudices."[116] In order to be comprehended, such "curiosities" -must not only be seen, but studied maturely: both are in this country -alike impracticable. When Wilkie first entered Italy, he found -nothing to rank them above Chinese or Hindoo paintings,[*117] and -could not discern the majestic simplicity ascribed to the primitive -masters. Yet, ere six weeks had passed, he recorded the conviction -"that the only art pure and unsophisticated, and that is worth study -and consideration by an artist, or that has the true object of art in -view, is to be found in the works of those masters who revived and -improved the art, and those who ultimately brought it to perfection. -These alone seem to have addressed themselves to the common sense of -mankind. From Giotto to Michael Angelo, expression and sentiment seem -the first thing thought of, whilst those who followed seem to have -allowed technicalities to get the better of them, until, simplicity -giving way to intricacy, they seem to have painted more for the -artist and the connoisseur than for the untutored apprehensions of -ordinary men." So, too, in writing to Mr. Phillips, R.A., he -says, "respect for primitive simplicity and expression is perhaps the -best advice for any school."[118] - -[Footnote 116: _Art Union_, January and April, 1847. We have read -with regret, in a periodical justly entitled to great weight, -criticisms so at variance with its wonted candour and good sense.] - -[Footnote *117: Evidently Chinese and Japanese art were not -understood in England in 1859.] - -[Footnote 118: CUNNINGHAM'S _Life of Wilkie_, II., pp. 197, -506.] - -Neither are religious innovations a necessary accompaniment of -such tastes among ourselves, as is too generally supposed. The -present reaction in favour of Romanist views, prevalent in England -among a class of persons, many of whom are distinguished by high -and cultivated intellect, as well as by youthful enthusiasm, takes -naturally an aesthetic as well as theological direction. The faith -and discipline, which they labour to revive, having borrowed some -winning illustrations and much imposing pageantry from painting, -sculpture, and architecture, their neophytes gladly avail themselves -of accessories so attractive. Nor can it be doubted that the same -qualities which render such persons impressionable to popish -observances, predispose them to admire or imitate works of devotional -art. Yet there is no compulsory connection between these tendencies. -Conversion to pantheism is not a requisite for appreciating the -Belvidere Apollo or the Medicean Venus; and a serious Christian may -surely appreciate the feeling of the early masters, without bowing -the knee to their Madonnas,--may admire the - - "Prelibations, foretastes high," - -of Fra Angelico's pencil, whilst demurring to the miracles he has so -charmingly portrayed. - -There is another observation of Wilkie's which merits our notice: -"Could their system serve, which I think it may, as the border -minstrelsy did Sir Walter Scott, it would be to any student a most -admirable groundwork for a new style of art." This somewhat hasty -hint must be cautiously received. The very absence of technical -excellence interests us in the formal compositions and flat -surfaces of the early masters. We feel that movement and distance, -foreshortening and relief, symmetry and contrast, tone and effect, -are scarcely wanted, where "a truth of actuality is fearlessly -sacrificed to a truth of feeling." We are forced to admit that men -who regarded form but as the vehicle of expression, attained a severe -grandeur, a noble repose, very different from exaggerated action. -Archaisms of style are, however, ill suited to our times. Originally -significant, they are now an affectation--the offspring of penury or -perverted taste, rather than of spiritual purity. So must they seem -in modern productions, affectedly divested of the artificial means -and improved methods which centuries of progress have developed, by -artists who forget their academic studies and neglect the contour of -the living model, without attaining the old inspiration. The spirit -which animated devotional limners being long dead, any imitation -of their style must be mechanical--a reproduction of its mannerism -after its motives are extinct. Whilst, therefore, I endeavour to -point out the merits of the old religious limners, it is with no -wish to see their manner revived. Among a generation whose faith -has been remodelled, whose social and intellectual habits have been -entirely revolutionised, the restoration of purist painting would be -a mockery. But it should not, therefore, be forbidden us to study -and sympathise with forms which, though rigid and monotonous, were -sufficient to express the simple faith of early times, and in which -earnestness compensates the absence of skill, and fervour the lack of -power. - -During the early years of the thirteenth century, there appeared on -the lofty Apennines of Central Italy, one of those mysterious beings -who, with few gifts of nature, are born to sway mankind; whose brief -and eccentric career has left behind a brilliant halo, that no lapse -of time is likely to dim. Giovanni Bernardoni, better known as St. -Francis of Assisi, by his eloquence, his austerities, and all the -appliances of religious enthusiasm, quickly gathered among the fervid -spirits of his native mountains a numerous following of devoted -disciples. In a less judicious church, he might, as a field-preacher, -have become a most dangerous schismatic; but, with that foresight -and knowledge of human nature which have generally distinguished the -Romish hierarchy, the sectarian leader was welcomed as a missionary, -"seraphic all in fervency," and in due time canonised into a saint, -whilst his poverty-professing sect was recognised as an order, and -became one of the most influential pillars of the Papacy. - -It was - - "On the hard rock - 'Twixt Arno and the Tiber, he from Christ - Took the last signet." - -From the desolate fastnesses of Lavernia, which witnessed his ascetic -life and ecstatic visions, to the fertile slopes of Assisi, where -his bones found repose from self-inflicted hardships, the people -rallied round him while alive, and revered him when dead. Nor did the -religious revival which his preaching and example there effected pass -away. Acknowledged by popes, favoured by princes, his order rapidly -spread. In every considerable town convents of begging friars were -established and endowed. Still, it was in his mountain-land that -his doctrines took deepest root, among a race of simple men, reared -amid the sublime combinations of Alpine and forest scenery, familiar -from their days of dreamy youth with hills and glades, caverns and -precipices, shady grottoes and solitary cells. The visionary tales -of his marvellous life, penetrating the devotional character of the -inhabitants, became favourite themes of popular superstition. - - "A spirit hung, - Beautiful region! o'er thy towns and farms; - And emanations were perceived, and acts - Of immortality, in nature's course - Exemplified by mysteries, that were felt - As bonds on grave philosopher imposed, - And armed warrior; and in every grove - A gay or pensive tenderness prevailed."[119] - -[Footnote 119: WORDSWORTH'S _Excursion_.] - -Assisi in particular was the focus of the new faith. To its shrine -flocked pilgrims laden with riches, which the saint taught them -to despise. This influx of treasure had the usual destination of -monastic wealth, being chiefly dedicated to the decoration of its -sanctuary. During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries the best -artists in Italy competed for its embellishment, and even now it -is there that the student of mediaeval art ought most to seek for -enlightenment. - -With the legends of St. Francis thus indelibly stamped on the -inhabitants, and with the finest specimens of religious painting -preserved at Assisi, it need scarcely be matter of surprise that -devotional art, which we have endeavoured to describe, should have -found in Umbria a fostering soil, even after it had been elsewhere -supplanted by naturalist and pagan novelties; for the feelings which -it breathed were those of mystery and sentiment--its beauty was -sanctified and impalpable. By a people so trained, its traditional -types were received with the fervour of faith; while to the limited -range of its themes the miraculous adventures of the saint were -a welcome supplement. The romantic character of these incidents -borrowed from the picturesque features of the country a new but -fitting element of pictorial effect, and for the first time nature -was introduced to embellish without demeaning religious painting. But -let us hear Rio, the eloquent elucidator of sacred art, upon this -subject. "To the Umbrian school belongs the glory of having followed -out the leading aim of Christian art without pause, and without -yielding to the seductions of example or the distractions of clamour. -It would seem that a peculiar blessing belongs to the spots rendered -specially holy by the sainted Francis of Assisi, and that the odour -of his sanctity has preserved the fine arts from degradation in that -mountain district, where so many pious painters have successively -contributed to ornament his tomb. From thence rose to heaven, like -a sweet incense, prayers whose fervour and purity ensured their -efficacy: from thence, too, in other times, there descended, like -beneficent dew upon the more corrupt cities of the plain, penitential -inspirations that spread into almost every part of Italy." - -Since these pages were written I have met with a passage in the -introduction of Boni's Italian translation of the work just quoted, -which I subjoin, at the risk of some repetition, as a fair specimen -of the ideas on Christian art now entertained by many on the -Continent, but as yet little known to English literature. - -"On the Umbrian mountains, by Assisi, slept, in the peace of Heaven, -St. Francis, who left such sweet odour of sanctity in the middle -ages. Round his tomb assembled, from every part of Christendom, -pilgrims to pay their vows. With their offertories there was erected -over his grave a magnificent temple, which became the point of -concourse to all painters animated by Christian feeling, who thus -displayed their gratitude to the Almighty for their endowment of -genius, who in that solitude laid in a new store of inspiration, -and who, after leaving on these walls a testimony of their powers, -returned home joyful and enriched. Cimabue, among the first that -raised a holy war against the Byzantine mannerism,[*120] there -painted the most beautiful of his Madonnas; his pupil, the shepherd -of Bondone, there traced those simple histories which established -his superiority; thither sped the artists of Siena, Perugia, Arezzo, -and the best of the Florentines,--the beatified Fiesole, of angelic -life and works, Benozzo Gozzoli, Orcagna, Perugino, and, finally, -Raffaele, the greatest of painters. - -[Footnote *120: Cimabue raising a holy war against Byzantine -mannerism is an amusing spectacle. All we know of him was that his -pupil was a great painter. Whether or no he painted at Assisi it is -impossible to say.] - -"Thus was there formed in the shadow of that sanctuary a truly -Christian school, which sought its types of beauty in the heavens; -or, when it laid the scene of its compositions here below, selected -their subjects from the sainted ones of the earth. Its delight was -to represent, now the Virgin-Mother kneeling before her Son, or -seated caressing or holding him up for the veneration of patriarchs -and saints; now the life of Christ, his preaching, his sufferings, -his triumph; or, again, to embody the touching legends told in these -simple times, or the martyrs crucified by early tyrants, or an -anchorite's devotion in a lonely cave, or some beatified soul borne -away on seraph's wings; or a religious procession, the miracle of a -preacher, the solemnity of a sacrament: but ever, images of solace -and of hope, cherubs singing and making melody, maidens contemplating -with smiles the opening heavens, the scenes begun on earth but -continued far beyond the clouds, where the Madonna and the Saviour -are seen, radiant with serene exultation, beholding the concourse of -suppliant faithful beneath." - -But lest, in quoting from writers zealously devoted to the Roman -Creed, we may seem to admit that such sympathies belong not to -Protestant breasts, it will be well to appeal to one whose pen -has, with no common success, combated the usages wherein popery -most startles those whose faith is based on the Reformation. "I -never looked at the pictures of one of these men that it did not -instantaneously affect me, alluring me into a sort of dream or -reverie, while my imagination was called into very lively activity. -It is not that their drawing is good; for, on the other hand, -it is often stiff, awkward, and unnatural. Nor is it that their -imagination, as exhibited in grouping their figures or embodying -the story to be represented, was correct or natural; for often -it is most absurd and grotesque. But still there is palpably the -embodiment of an idea; an idea pure, holy, exquisite, and too much -so to seem capable of expression by the ordinary powers either of -language or of the pencil. Yet the idea is there. And it must have -had a mysterious and wondrous power on the imagination of these men, -it must have thoroughly mastered and possessed them, or they never -could have developed such an exquisite ideal of calm, peaceful, meek, -heavenly holiness, as stands out so constantly and so pre-eminently -in their paintings." In noticing the cavils of connoisseurs upon -these paintings this author happily observes, that they were "looking -for earthly creatures and found heavenly ones; and, expecting unholy -expressions, were disappointed at finding none but the holy."[121] - -[Footnote 121: REV. M.H. SEYMOUR'S _Pilgrimage to Rome_, a -work remarkable for accurate observation of facts, and the candid -tone of its strictures.] - -We may here remark, in passing, the nearly coeval introduction of a -class of themes which, though innovating upon the purity of Catholic -faith, were admirably adapted to develop the mystic tendencies of -devotional painting. It was about the thirteenth century that the -Madonna acquired the unfortunately paramount place in the Romish -worship she has since been permitted to hold. Her history became a -favourite topic of Franciscan and other popular preachers, at once -facile and fascinating. Not content with describing the scriptural -events of her life, they adopted traditions regarding her birth, -marriage, and death; or the more abstruse and questionable legends -of her miraculous conception, her assumption, exaltation, and her -coronation as queen of heaven, and the _cintola_ or girdle by which -she drew up souls from limbo. It would be quite foreign to the -matter in hand were we to examine the orthodoxy of these devotional -novelties, or their influence upon the social estimate of the -female character. Enough to observe that they speedily enriched -Christian art in all its branches, but chiefly in Umbria, where, in -accordance with the prevailing popular taste, such of them as partook -of dogmatic mystery gained a preference over more real or scenic -incidents. The early Giottists were wont to close their dramatic -delineations of her earthly history with a peaceful death, its only -artistic licence being the transit of her soul in the shape of a -swaddled babe. But the Madonna-worship of this more spiritual school -was satisfied with nothing short of her translation in the body, -direct to realms of bliss from amid a concourse of adoring disciples. -In like manner, the old Byzantine painters inscribed over her image -one uniform epigraph, "the Mother of God"; whilst the devotional -masters delighted to seat her beyond the skies, where her blessed -Son placed a diadem upon her brows as the queen of heaven. It hence -became an established practice of the latter to depict her charms, -not after the mould in which nature cast fair but frail humanity, but -to clothe them in abstract and purer beauty appropriate to one whom, -though incarnate, they were taught to regard as divine. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII - - The Umbrian school of painting, its scholars and - influence--Fra Angelico da Fiesole--Gentile da - Fabriano--Pietro Perugino--Artists at Urbino--Piero della - Francesca--Fra Carnevale--Francesco di Giorgio. - - -The Umbrian art, of which we have attempted to trace the origin, -has not hitherto met with the notice which it merits. Lanzi allowed -it no separate place among the fourteen schools under which he has -arranged Italian painting, and, by scattering its most important -names, has lost sight of certain characteristics which, rather -than any common education, link its masters together. Nor was this -omission wonderful, for the Umbrian painters and their works were -dispersed over many towns and villages, none of which could be -considered the head-quarters of a school, and to visit these distant -localities would have been a task of difficulty and disappointment. -The patronage of princes and communities seems to have been sparingly -bestowed in that mountain-land. Assisi, adorned by many Florentine -strangers, was mother rather than nurse of its native art, and -other religious houses wanted the means or the spirit to follow her -brilliant example. Hence the comparatively few opportunities afforded -to the Christian painters of Umbria of executing great works in -fresco, the peculiar vehicle of pictorial grandeur; and alas! of -these few, a considerable proportion has been lost to us under the -barbarism of whitewash.[122] The revival of feeling for religious -art, of late commenced by the Germans, and their persevering zeal in -illustrating its neglected monuments, have established the existence -of an Umbrian school in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries; but -its history remains to be written.[*123] The task would carry us too -far from the leading subject of these volumes, yet we shall endeavour -in a few pages to sketch its development, from the dreamy anchorites -whose rude pencils embodied the visions of their favourite St. -Francis, to Raffaele, whose high mission it was to perfect devotional -painting,[*124] apart from the alloy of human passions, and to -withstand for a time that influx of pagan and naturalist corruptions, -which after his premature death overwhelmed it. - -[Footnote 122: In 1843, I saw fragments of fine frescoes in two -churches at Cagli which had just been cleared of this abomination; -and I was assured that the small church of Monte l'Abbate near Pesaro -has but recently been subjected to it, by order of its ignorant -curate. The abbey church of Pietra Pertusa at the Furlo is another of -many similar instances.] - -[Footnote *123: It still remains to be written; but see the Essay of -BERENSON, _Central Italian Painting_ (Putnams, 1904), and -the valuable list of pictures appended to it.] - -[Footnote *124: This is an example of the taste of our fathers, -almost inexplicable to-day. To consider Raffaele as a greater -"devotional" painter than Duccio, Simone Martini, Fra Angelico, -Sassetta, or Perugino might almost seem impossible.] - -Two fanes were commenced in the thirteenth century near the Tiber, -which became conspicuous as shrines equally of Christian devotion -and Christian art. The cathedral of Orvieto for two hundred years -attracted from all parts of Italy many of the best artificers in -sculpture and painting, some of whom, arriving from Umbria, carried -back new inspirations to their homes. The sanctuary of St. Francis, -at Assisi, coeval with the dawn of Italian art, borrowed its earliest -embellishments from Tuscany,[*125] where Giotto and his followers -were ingrafting on design two novel ingredients--dramatic composition -and allegorical allusion. The former of these elements distinguished -the Florentine from contemporary schools, and carried it beyond -them in variety and effect, preparing a way for the pictorial power -which Raffaele and Michael Angelo perfected. To the inspirations of -Dante it owed the latter element, and to the enthusiastic though -tardy admiration which his fellow-citizens indulged for his wildly -poetical mysticism, may be ascribed the abiding impress of a tendency -which not only authorised but encouraged new and varied combinations. -The rigid outlines, monotonous conventional movements, and soulless -countenances of Byzantium gradually were mellowed into life and -beauty; but it is curious to observe how much sooner genius caught -the spirit than the form,--how it succeeded in embodying expression -long before it could master the more technical difficulties of -design, action, and shadow. The credit claimed for Giotto of -introducing physiognomical expression is, however, only partially -true. Compared with the Greek works, or even with those of his -immediate antecedents, Cimabue, Guido, and Margaritone, his heads, -indeed, beam with animated intelligence, and feel the movement which -he first communicated to his groups. Yet not less was the still and -unimpassioned, but deep-seated emotion which the Umbrian painters -embodied in their miniatures and panels, an improvement upon the -lifeless and angular mechanism of the Byzantine artificers, although -these very opposite qualities are generally condemned to the same -category of contemptible feebleness by our pretended connoisseurs, -glibly discussing masters whose real works they never saw, or are -unable from ignorance and prejudice to appreciate. Such a state -of art could not, however, remain wedded to a few fixed types. It -was inherently one of transition, and necessarily led to a gradual -abandonment of the Giottist manner of representation, while it -enlarged the principles of composition introduced by Giotto. Beato -Angelico, the first Florentine who successfully departed from that -style, reawakening the old religious spirit, and embodying in it -forms of purity never before or since attained, forsook not wholly -the Dantesque spirit. His passing influence yielded to a manner more -in unison with the times, which was formed and nearly perfected by -Masaccio; but still Dante was not left behind. Luca Signorelli, -issuing from his Umbrian mountains and his Umbrian master, imbibed at -Florence the lofty images of "the bard of hell," and energetically -reproduced them in the duomo of Orvieto, in startling contrast with -the works of Angelico, and other devoted masters, who had previously -decorated that museum of art. - -[Footnote *125: The Roman school was painting at Assisi in the Upper -Church before Giotto. Cf. CROWE & CAVALCASELLE, _op. cit._, -vol. II., p. 4.] - -There, too, had been wrought some choice productions of the Pisan -sculptors,[*126] but their tendency to clothe nature in the forms -of antique design met with little sympathy, and no imitation, from -students whose minds were preoccupied by tales of St. Francis, and -thus it is unnecessary here to notice them further. The Sienese -school is in an entirely different category. Without encumbering -ourselves at present by the definitions and distinctions of German -aesthetic criticism, we shall merely remark that the painters of -Siena, from Guido until late in the fifteenth century, never lost -sight of that sentimental devotion which we have already described -as the soul of Christian art, and which so curiously pervades the -statutes of their guild formerly quoted. The cathedral of Orvieto was -founded in 1290 by a Sienese architect, who, as we may well suppose, -brought some of his countrymen to assist in its embellishment, and -to infuse these principles among the native students, who, from -assistants, became master-artificers of its decorations. Nor was -this the only link which connected Sienese art with the confines -of Umbria. The scattered townships in the Val di Chiana preserve -in their remaining early altar-panels clear evidence that these -were supplied from Siena; and Taddeo Bartolo, repairing thence in -1403 to Perugia, and perhaps to Assisi, left proofs that the bland -sentimentalism of his native school might be united with a tranquil -majesty, to which the Giottists had scarcely attained.[*127] - -[Footnote *126: The Pisan sculptors were for the most part Maitani, -the Sienese. Cf. L. DOUGLAS, in _Architectural Review_, -June, 1903.] - -[Footnote *127: Dennistoun says nothing of the magnificent work of -Simone Martini, the Sienese, in S. Francesco, at Assisi.] - -Having thus briefly touched upon foreign influences which told on -the pictorial character of Umbria, we are prepared to consider the -most remarkable artificers whom it has produced, especially in the -duchy of Urbino. Of these the first place is due on many accounts -to ODERIGI DA GUBBIO,[*128] for, besides his claim to be -founder of the schools of Gubbio and Bologna, he is celebrated among -the most excellent miniaturists of his time by Dante, who has placed -him in purgatory, a sentence justly deemed by Ticozzi somewhat severe -for "the head and front of his offending," that of over-zeal in his -art. - - "'Art thou not Oderigi? Art not thou - Agobbio's glory, glory of that art - Which they of Paris call the limner's skill?' - 'Brother,' said he, 'with tints that gayer smile, - Bolognian Franco's pencil lines the leaves: - His all the honour now, my light obscured. - In truth I had not been thus courteous to him - The whilst I lived, though eagerness of zeal - For that pre-eminence my heart was bent on. - Here of such pride the forfeiture is paid; - Nor were I even here, if, able still - To sin, I had not turned me unto God. - O powers of man! how vain your glory, nipt - E'en in its height of verdure, if an age - Less bright succeed not. Cimabue thought - To lord it over painting's field, and now - The cry is Giotto's, and his name eclipsed.'"[129] - -[Footnote *128: Cf. VENTURI, _Storia dell'Arte Italiana_ -(Milano, 1907), vol. V., 837, 1003-4, 1014, 1022.] - -[Footnote 129: CAREY'S _Dante_, Purg. XI., 76.] - -Baldinucci has written a life of this master, chiefly in confirmation -of his theory that all modern painting was produced from the -personal influence of Cimabue, a dogma combated by Lanzi. His death -is placed in 1299, which would make him contemporary with that -Florentine artificer, and Vasari calls him the friend of Giotto, who -was much his junior. The preservation of his name is perhaps chiefly -owing to Dante's notice, though the antiquaries of Gubbio now reject -the lapidary inscription which claims for the latter a residence in -their town. There is in truth a sad deficiency of facts regarding -Oderigi, and no work from his hand being now known, speculation as -to his style would be useless.[130] That the painters connected with -Gubbio in the following generation may have been formed under his -instructions, is however a conjecture fairly admissible. - -[Footnote 130: The Ordo Officiorum Senensis Ecclesiae, a MS. of 1215, -in the library of Siena, has been ascribed to him, by confusion -with another Oderico, a canon there; it possesses no artistic merit -whatever.] - -Of these Cecco and Puccio were employed, probably as mosaicists, -in 1321, upon the cathedral of Orvieto, whence they may have -brought back to Umbria enlarged principles of art. But, abandoning -conjectural grounds, let us notice the earliest Eugubinean painter -whose works have survived to our own time. GUIDO PALMERUCCI -is said to have been born about the time of Oderigi's death, while -others consider him as his pupil. Assuredly the observation of Lanzi, -which appears to rank him with the Giottists, is not borne out by the -frescoes in his native town attributed to him, for these have nothing -of the dramatic action which Giotto introduced, and their details, -as well as their general manner, resemble colossal miniatures. -This is especially the case in a figure of S. Antonio, the only -remains of some mural paintings which covered the exterior of a -chapel[*131] belonging to the college of painters, founded at Gubbio -in the thirteenth century. The character of the saint is grand, the -attitude solemn, the expression spiritualised; and an Ecce Homo still -in the Church of S. Maria Nuova there, exhibits a similar style. -Among the few fragments of mouldering frescoes to be seen at Gubbio, -I have found no others ascribed to Palmerucci, but Passavant tells -us he wrought in the town-hall about 1345. At Cagli two interesting -frescoes in the church of S. Francesco have been lately brought to -light from behind a great altar picture, and successfully moved to -the adjoining wall. They represent two miracles of St. Anthony of -Padua, and I am inclined to ascribe them to Palmerucci, or some able -contemporary. The actors and bystanders are equally remarkable for -heads of staid devout composure, which under Giottesque treatment -would have been in a far higher degree animated and dramatic. In the -beautiful art of pictorial glass, Gubbio has also a notable name in -ANGIOLETTO, who embellished the chapel-window of St. Louis -at Assisi, and enriched the cathedrals of Orvieto and Siena with his -gem-like decorations. - -[Footnote *131: He refers to S. Antonio Abate, I suppose. There is -nothing by Palmerucci in S. Maria Nuova, but a Madonna and Saints and -Gonfaloniere kneeling are attributed to him in the Prefettura.] - -To the same city belongs the little we know of the Nelli -family,[*132] yet that little is well calculated to call forth -our regrets for their lost works. MARTINO NELLI was a junior -contemporary of Palmerucci. In his fresco over the gate of -S. Antonio, representing the Madonna enthroned, with elaborate -architectural accessories, there may be traced an approach to the -mild devotional abstraction with which the purist Christian artists -tempered the - - "Maternal lady with the virgin grace." - -But in a smaller work of his son OTTAVIANO, the church -of S. Maria Nuova possesses the very finest existing specimen of -the Umbrian school, exempt from injury or restoration. The lovely -and saint-like Madonna, the seraphic choir that forms a glory -around her, the Almighty crowning the "highly favoured among women," -have perhaps never been equalled among the happiest embodyings of -devotional genius; nor are the rich colouring, the accessory saints, -and the portraits of the Peroli family, who, in 1403, commissioned -this grand work, inferior in merit. He is supposed to have been -born about 1375, and, after executing in Assisi, Urbino, and other -circumjacent towns, works long perished, to have died in 1444. Of the -mural paintings by his brother Tomaso, in S. Domenico and under the -Piazzone of his native town, it is impossible to say more than -that whatever of the family inspiration may have guided his pencil -has been nearly obscured by cruel restorations. - -[Footnote *132: Cf. MAZZATINTI, _Documenti per la storia -delle Arti a Gubbio_, in _Arch. St. per le Marche e per l'Umbria_, -vol. III., p. 1-48. Ottaviano was living certainly after 1444.] - -[Illustration: _Alinari_ - -MADONNA DEL BELVEDERE - -_After the fresco by Ottaviano Nelli in S. Maria Nuova, Gubbio_] - -Among the pupils of Ottaviano, - - "Who on high niche or cloister wall, - Inscribed their bright-lined lays," - -about Gubbio, are PITALI, DOMENICO DI CECCHI, and -BERNARDINO DI NANNI: to these may be added GIACOMO -BEDI, a name that has escaped the historians of Italian art, -by whom were painted in the church of S. Agostino four scenes in -the life of the saint, which retain a freshness and force of colour -equal to any productions of the age. With these the influence of -Oderigi seems to have become extinct in his native town, before the -close of the fifteenth century, long ere which it had, however, been -transported elsewhere by Gentile da Fabriano, who, emerging from his -Apennine home, reproduced in Florence and in Rome the characteristics -of that master, amid universal applause, and, carrying them to -Venice, founded there the religious feeling which the Bellini, -Vivarini, and Cima di Conegliano sustained, imparting at the same -time that taste for luxuriant colouring which Titian brought to -perfection. But, ere we turn to the school of Fabriano, we may here -translate from the original quaint Italian a letter from Ottaviano, -illustrative of the early patronage of art by the Montefeltrian -family. No trace of the works there mentioned now remains.[133] - -[Footnote 133: _Carteggio d'Artisti_, I., p. 131. Countess Caterina, -to whom it is addressed, was wife of Count Guidantonio, mentioned -in vol. I., p. 42. For some notices of Ottaviano, I am indebted to -a short account of him by Signor Luigi Bonfatti of Gubbio, whose -zealous researches will, it is to be hoped, soon enable him to -illustrate as it deserves the hitherto neglected art of Umbria. His -theory that Gentile was a pupil of Ottaviano may be redargued by -their ages being nearly equal, but an examination of the surviving -frescoes at Gubbio has inclined me to believe that the former drew -from the same school of Oderigi, as represented by the Nelli, -some of those inspirations of holy pathos, and something of that -playful brilliancy of tints, which he subsequently combined with new -principles.] - - "To the illustrious and lofty Lady, the Lady Caterina, - Countess of Montefeltro, and my special Lady. - - "My special Lady, illustrious and lofty Madam, after due - commendation, &c. I have received your benign letter, - reminding me of the figures which I promised to make for - your Ladyship. When your servant Pietro found me, I was on - horseback, going upon certain business of my own, and so - could not well tell him all my reasons, which I now expose - to your Ladyship. When your Ladyship left Gubbio, I was, as - you know, to furnish the _palliotto_;[134] after I had done - it, I went from Gubbio to execute a small job which I had - promised above a year past; for they would wait no longer, - and I should have lost it had I not forthwith commenced. - But I trusted that your Ladyship's kindness would hold me - excused, for I counted that your commission, and that of my - Lord, your son, would be completed against your Ladyship's - return to Gubbio. In order, however, that your piety may be - satisfied, I shall set myself warmly and fervently to do it - quickly, and thus your intention will take effect. There - is no one at S. Erasimo, so I must cause lime and sand be - carried thither, and get them ground down, and also wood - for the framework. If your Ladyship would but write to the - friars of S. Ambrogio, or indeed to your factor, to prepare - these things for me: but if not, I shall do my best; for - you, my special Lady, never had servant more willing to - do your Ladyship's commands than myself, and so you may - count upon me as a faithful servant to the utmost of my - power. I believe I have instructions for the work you wish - in S. Erasimo [representing] your son, my Lord, kneeling - with his servant and horse before that patron saint. Thus - I recollect everything your Ladyship wishes of me, and God - grant me grace to perform it all. Prepared for whatever - your Ladyship wills; your most faithful, - - "OTAVIANO, painter of Gubbio. - - "From Urbino, the last of June, 1434." - -[Footnote 134: Palliotto was the painting or wood-carving -occasionally placed on the altar-front in early times, for which a -hanging of brocade or muslin was afterwards substituted.] - -In a sketch having no pretensions to a history, we need not pause -upon names now known only from old records, and must keep strictly to -those whose genius has left a decided impress upon the development of -art in Umbria. We therefore pass over artificers belonging to various -communities along the Apennines who appear on the rolls of Orvieto, -including several from Fabriano. About the middle of the fourteenth -century, the latter town boasted an ALLEGRETTO NUZIO, some -of whose altar-panels may still be traced in La Marca, embodying -a sentimentalism of expression, combined with a richness in the -accessories, which remind one strongly of the finest productions of -Memmi, and lead us to suspect an infusion of the Sienese style.[*135] -But the renown of Allegretto rests more on that of his pupil -Gentile, whom we have already named as the first who carried the -characteristics and fame of the Umbrian manner beyond the seclusion -of its highland cradle. - -[Footnote *135: Some magnificent works by Allegretto Nuzi of a most -surprising loveliness may be seen in Fabriano.] - -FRANCESCO DI GENTILE was born at Fabriano about 1370, and, -after maturely studying all that was best there and at Gubbio, -he set forth to enlarge his field of observation. Florence was -perhaps his first point of attraction, for nowhere else could he see -such beautiful art. But resisting those seductions which the vast -compositions of the Gaddi, Orcagna, and other Giottists held out to -an ardent and youthful ambition, he preserved in their purity the -holy inspirations of the fatherland, and meeting little sympathy for -these among the fraternity of St. Luke, he sought for himself a more -suitable companionship in the cloister of S. Domenico. There it was -his good fortune to discover a man whose rare character realised -those transcendental qualities, of which we read in the saintly -legends of pristine times, without regarding them as real ingredients -in human character. - -FRA GIOVANNI DA FIESOLE had spent the years which other -youths wasted on stormy pleasures in acquiring the art of miniature -painting, and its sacred representations took such hold of his -feelings, that, abjuring the world, he assumed the habit of St. -Dominic. But finding that his art, far from interfering with the -holy sentiments which a tender conscience considered as inseparable -from his new profession, tended directly to spiritualise them, -the neophyte continued to exercise it; and upon settling himself -in the convent of S. Marco, he extended his style to fresco, ever -adhering to those pure forms of celestial bliss which no one before -or since has equalled. It is related of him that, regarding his -painting in the light of a God-gift, he never sat down to exercise -it without offering up orisons for divine influence, nor did he -assume his palette until he felt these answered by a glow of holy -inspiration. His pencil thus literally embodied the language of -prayer; his compositions were the result of long contemplation on -mystic revelations; his Madonnas borrowed their sweet and sinless -expression from ecstatic visions; the passion of our Saviour was -conceived by him in tearful penitence, and executed with sobs -and sighs. Deeming the forms he thus predicted to proceed from -supernatural dictation, he never would alter or retouch them; and -though his works are generally brought to the highest attainable -finish, the impress of their first conception remains unchanged. To -the unimaginative materialism of the present day, these sentences -may seem idle absurdities, but they illustrate the character of Fra -Giovanni, and no painter ever so thoroughly instilled his character -into his works. Those who have not had the good fortune to see -any of these cannot form an idea of the infantine simplicity, the -immaculate countenances, the unimpassioned pathos apparent in his -figures, nor of the transparent delicacy of his flesh-tints, and the -gay and cheerful colouring which he introduces into the details, -without injury to the angelic grace of the whole. These qualities -procured for their author the epithet of Angelico; his personal -virtues were acknowledged by an offer of the see of Fiesole, which -his humility declined and by the posthumous honour of beatification; -his paintings, to borrow the words of Vasari, elevated the utmost -perfection to the ideal of art, by improving without abandoning -its original type; and, in the characteristic language of Michael -Angelo, he must have studied in heaven the faces which he depicted on -earth.[136] - -[Footnote 136: Such testimony, from artists so antipathic to his -practice, is a curious tribute at once to his merit and influence.] - -Such was the instructor with whom, although his junior, Gentile -thought it no disparagement to place himself,[*137] and his works -testify to his having caught much of the spirit as well as the -elaborate finish of his master. But whilst Angelico passed his -time in decorating the cells of his convent with frescoes, whose -holy beauties have confirmed the faith and purified the secret -contemplations of many a recluse, his pupil returned to the world, -to follow up a successful career. Called to Orvieto about 1423, -he there painted two altars, which, though not his best works, are -peculiarly interesting in contrast with the grand productions which -at a later period his master executed for that cathedral.[*138] In -the registers of the fabric, he is, in 1425, designated as "master -of the masters"; and the fame which he thus acquired brought him -successive commissions at Florence and Siena, after which he was -extensively employed in enriching the cities of Umbria and La Marca -with works of which no trace now exists.[*139] Among these towns -were Gubbio and Urbino; but still more interesting to our immediate -subject,--the development of art under the Feltrian dukes,--is -the altar-piece executed by him at Romita, near Fabriano, and now -plundered and scattered by the French, part of which adorns the -Brera Gallery at Milan. The Madonna is crowned by her Son, the Dove -fluttering between them, the Father rising pyramidally behind, amid a -choir of cherubim; below, in the empyrean void, is an arch spanning -the sun and moon, on which stand eight angels, making melody of -praise on various instruments. So extended was the reputation of this -work, that Raffaele is believed to have been attracted thither in -his youth, to imbibe that devotional sentiment which he was destined -to advance to its culminating point of excellence. Another fountain -of his early inspiration was the famous, but now defaced, Madonna of -Forano, near Osimo, whose angelic beauty is described as well-fitted -to have left an indelible charm upon minds less pure and enthusiastic -than his. On the mere evidence of its ecstatic loveliness, it was -generally ascribed to Beato Angelico; but as there is no account of -the Frate having visited La Marca, it may probably have been produced -by Gentile, when his return to his native mountains had freed him -for a season from mundane impressions, and had restored him to the -sanctifying influence of its legendary abstractions. - -[Footnote *137: Gentile da Fabriano was the pupil of Allegretto Nuzi, -not of Fra Angelico.] - -[Footnote *138: There is only one fragment of Gentile's work in the -Duomo of Orvieto: a Madonna, painted in 1425.] - -[Footnote *139: A fine work still remains at Perugia, No. 39, in Sala -V., Pinacoteca.] - -[Illustration: _Alinari_ - -MADONNA DEL SOCCORSO - -_After the gonfalone by a pupil of Fiorenzo di Lorenzo in S. -Francesco Montone_] - -From thence he proceeded to Venice, where many of his most brilliant -performances were achieved; but these, too, are nearly all lost to -us. There, in contact with the busy world, and sharing its honours, -distracted, it may be, by the bright tints and smiling landscapes -just then imported from northern lands, his devotional inspirations -were gradually tinged by naturalism. His principal commission was -a fresco of the naval victories of the Republic; and I have seen -a small picture by him of the rape of the Sabines, whose feeble -paganism belongs, no doubt, to his later years, and sadly proves how -essential were these inspirations to his success. At Venice he opened -a school, which enjoyed high reputation, and which probably numbered -among its pupils Pisanello, the Vivarini, and Bellini, although -chronology throws a doubt upon some of Vasari's assertions as to this -point. A new field of glory opened before Gentile, when invited by -Eugene IV. to decorate with mural paintings the since rebuilt church -of the Lateran, where he painted four prophets in chiaroscuro, and -placed below them the life of the Baptist,--works unfinished at his -death in 1450, and now destroyed, but which Michael Angelo, little -qualified as he was to appreciate the delicacies of religious art, -characterised as worthy the _gentle_ name of their author. - -On quitting the cloister of S. Marco, Gentile had carried with him -a portion of the devotional feeling which hung around the studio of -Fra Giovanni, and along with it much of the taste for rich ornaments, -for gold and brocades, for fruit and flowers, in which both of his -instructors delighted. But whilst Allegretto and Angelico kept such -foreign aids in subservience to the predominating sentiment of their -works, their pupil caught from the great world, in which he freely -mingled with credit and applause, an admiration of mundane grandeur -which, in his later compositions, is singularly combined with the -spirit of religious art. His immaculate Madonnas are worshipped -less by angelic choirs of cherubim and seraphim, than by the great -ones of the earth in their trappings of dignity; and of all sacred -themes, the Epiphany, or adoration of the Magi kings at the stable -of Bethlehem, was his choice. Such is the magnificent altar-panel -which he wrought in 1423, for the church of the S. Trinita at -Florence, now one of the most precious monuments in the Belle Arti -there. Still more gorgeous is his crowded composition painted for -the Zeni of Venice; but there he has contaminated the purist spirit -of Christian painting, for in the suite of the eastern kings is -portrayed the patron of the picture, with all the gallant company who -attended his embassy from the Republic to Usamkassan, sovereign of -Persia. The unequalled variety of groups, the elaborate splendour of -oriental costumes, the crowd of horsemen in contrasted attitudes, the -lavish adoption of gold, form a dazzling but harmonious whole, which -has scarcely any parallel in painting. It is not improbable that -this and similar works, besides introducing a new element into the -semi-Byzantine practice of the Venetian school, may have spread to -Albert Durer and other Germans, who long after visited that - - "Ruler of the waters and their powers," - -an influence carried by them to Nuremberg and Cologne, to enrich -the already gaudy tendencies of ultramontane taste. But Gentile da -Fabriano possesses another claim upon the student of early painting, -hitherto inadequately noticed. To the lessons of his father, a -learned mathematician, he may have owed the linear perspective which, -in many of his productions, anticipated the improvements of Piero -della Francesca. This is observable in the Zeno picture, and still -more in a small predella in my possession, where his favourite theme, -the Epiphany, is completed by a background accurately laid out in -lines and compartments, such as we see in the Dutch gardens of the -seventeenth century. But to this question we must return. - -Among the artists who maintained in Umbria the influences left -by Ottaviano and Gentile, two were of special merit, NICOLO -ALUNNO, of Foligno, and BENEDETTO BONFIGLI, of Perugia. Their works -have been often confounded, but with the latter only have we to do, -for, besides being nearer to Gentile both in age and in manner, he -is generally considered as the master of PIETRO PERUGINO,[*140] and -thus forms a link in the artistic chain which we are endeavouring to -establish, through the best Umbrian painters, from ODERIGI OF GUBBIO -to RAFFAELE OF URBINO. Of Bonfigli there are several interesting and -well-preserved specimens in his native town, dated about 1466, but -it must be owned that none of the earliest known works of Perugino -exhibit much trace of his style. These, however, are all supposed -posterior to Pietro's first visit to Florence, where his ideas must -have undergone vast development from the examples of Masaccio and -other masters, who there formed a galaxy of talent about the middle -of the fifteenth century.[*141] In that city he formed his early -friendship with Leonardo da Vinci, which Sanzi says was cemented -by parity of age as of affection; and it is singular how little -such sympathy can be traced in their genius or works. When, on the -other hand, we contrast the placid features which Vannucci uniformly -limned, rarely ruffled by sorrow, never clouded by sin, with the -furious mien and restless energy of Michael Angelo's creations, we -may well credit Vasari's story of their quarrel, and can account -for the scrimp justice accorded to the painter of Citta della Pieve -by his Florentine biographer. They pretend not, indeed, to the -bold character of Signorelli, nor even to the severity of Mantegna, -or Piero della Francesca; but those who criticise them as stiff, -timid, and monotonous, in contrast with the performances of the next -generation, would arrive at more just conclusions did they include in -the comparison those painters who had preceded him, and whose example -was his early guide. - -[Footnote *140: We do not know who Perugino's Perugian master was; -but it was more likely to be Fiorenzo di Lorenzo than Bonfigli.] - -[Footnote *141: There is no trace of Masaccio's influence in -Perugino's work. He was influenced by Signorelli, and slightly by -Verrocchio.] - - * * * * * - -Let us turn to Urbino. Lanzi tells us that Giotto, Gentile da -Fabriano, and their respective followers, left works in that little -capital; where Pungileone has shown that Ottaviano Nelli exercised -his profession from 1428 to 1433, and Paolo Uccello of Florence in -1468, with other artists detected by the same zealous antiquary. Of -such works, however, nothing can now be traced. The oldest paintings -I could discover there were those in the oratory of St. John Baptist -by Lorenzo and Giacomo di San Severino, Lanzi's blunders regarding -whom have been corrected by the Marchese Ricci. The principal -composition is the Crucifixion, with a dramatic action influenced by -Giottesque feeling: the three other walls seem to have been occupied -by a history of the titular saint, two passages of which are almost -destroyed. Those remaining, though not exempt from retouching, are -sufficiently preserved to enable us to detect a masterly and novel -arrangement, and a character of devotion more consistent with the -Umbrian manner, though marred by hard colouring. The date 1416 is -added to the painter's epigraph. We learn from an old chronicle that -Antonio da Ferrara painted the Montefeltro chapel in the church of -S. Francesco in 1430, a fact scarcely reconcileable with Vasari's -assertion that he was a pupil of Angelo Gaddi. He is also said to -have executed an _ancona_ for the church of S. Bernardino, portions -of which may probably be recognised in some figures still in the -sacristy. In that of S. Francesco at Mercatello, among several -memorials of a similar period, are {1843} two frescoes characterised -by grand design, ample draperies, and full colouring, but deficient -in delicacy. The _lunette_ of the marriage of St. Catherine outside -the door is somewhat later, and very superior, and may be from the -pencil of Pietro della Francesca. Of none of these works, nor of -two good panel pictures in the same church, have I been able to -find any account. In the hospital of S. Angelo in Vado is a panel -altar picture in utter ruin, which has possessed surpassing beauty. -The martyrdom of St. Sebastian is there powerfully conceived, and -executed with the finest feeling. The inscription seems to have been, -_Hieronymus Nardia Vicentis fecit_; the date probably towards the -close of the fifteenth century. Such is the beggarly account we have -to offer of early art in the country of Raffaele, and thus might we -dismiss the speculations of those who would fondly trace its primary -influences on his dawning genius. - -But though time and whitewash have combined to narrow this branch of -our inquiry, we must not overlook an artist who ranks high among the -reformers of painting, and upon whom the patronage of Duke Federigo -was specially lavished. His family name has not come down to us, but -he is generally known by the matronymic of Piero della Francesca, -from the Christian name of his mother, though sometimes designed -Pietro del Borgo, or Il Borghese, from Borgo S. Sepolcro, his native -town. His life has unfortunately been left in much obscurity by his -only biographer Vasari, who might have well bestowed somewhat more -pains upon the career of one born in a neighbouring town, who left -his finest works at Arezzo, and whose merits he is more inclined to -magnify than to slight. The loose assertions of this author have -been adopted by most succeeding writers, without addition and with -little investigation; but of the school in which Pietro acquired the -rudiments of his art, and of the earlier period of his career, we -remain still uninformed, though his age and Apennine origin favour -the conjecture that he may have imbibed his first lessons from works -of Ottaviano Nelli the contemporary Umbrian master.[*142] Beyond -question two very different manners appear in the productions of his -pencil; the first, crudely composed and laboriously frittered into -detail, with much of the contracted ideas and bright tinting of the -old miniaturists; the second, broad and masterly in conception, and -executed with a flowing pencil, though retaining an elaborate finish. -Both styles are united in a little picture at Urbino, which we shall -presently describe, the Flagellation being in the earlier, the three -portraits in the larger manner. If born, as Vasari incorrectly -states, in the last years of the fourteenth century,[*143] Piero, -instead of being patronised by Guidobaldo I., must have reached at -least eighty-four in that Duke's time; indeed, he would have been -past middle life ere Federigo, whom, as we shall presently see, he -calls his chief patron, succeeded to that state in 1443. "Guidobaldo -Feltro" may, however, probably be a mistake of Vasari for Count -Guidantonio, in which case a solution would be afforded for several -of his manifold contradictions; and at that court, if not in earlier -life, our artist might have been the associate or pupil of Nelli. -Passing over works now lost which del Borgo is stated on the same -authority to have executed at Pesaro, Ferrara, Ancona, and Loreto, -we find him called by Nicholas V. to Rome, where his frescoes appear -to have been destroyed in the many alterations made on the Vatican -Palace before that century closed. - -[Footnote *142: Piero della Francesca was the pupil of Domenico -Veneziano.] - -[Footnote *143: Piero was born in 1416.] - -Piero della Francesca is also asserted by Vasari to have been -one of the most profound mathematicians of his day, and to have -improved perspective and the management of light by an adaptation -of geometrical principles to painting. The latter of these opinions -has been received, and constitutes the highest claim of this -master upon the historians of art. The point has not as yet been -illustrated by any writer competent to pronounce with accuracy -upon such pretensions,[*144] but the merit of having shown how to -ameliorate perspective, especially in architectural design, is -generally granted to Piero. Pascoli and others have regarded him as -its father. Lanzi thinks him the first who revived the ancient Greek -notion of rendering geometry subject to painting in general, although -Brunelleschi, Paolo Uccelli, and others had already applied the same -principles with less science to architectural details; and he combats -the priority in these respects asserted by Lomazzo for Foppa of -Brescia. The claims of Leon Battista Alberti,[*145] the architect, -seem to have been settled by Vasari's opinion that distance was -better described by his pen than delineated by his pencil. The same -author enlists our sympathy in favour of Il Borghese, representing -him as defrauded of his fame by an unscrupulous scholar, Fra Luca -Pacioli, a Franciscan, who, after learning from him mathematics, -availed himself of his instructor's after blindness to plagiarise his -manuscripts, and eventually published them as his own.[*146] Into -this controverted matter we need not enter, further than to pronounce -with Tiraboschi, Rosini, and Gaye a verdict of _not proven_, and to -observe that the celebrity attained by the friar's scientific works -ought to reflect some merit upon his instructor. Yet justice to both -parties requires us to extract the generous testimony volunteered to -the painter by his pupil, in dedicating to Duke Guidobaldo his Summa -de Arithmetica, Geometria, &c.: "Perspective, if closely looked into, -would certainly be nothing without the aid of geometry, as has been -fully demonstrated by Pietro di Franceschi, our contemporary, and -the prince of modern painting. During his assiduous service in your -Excellency's family, he composed his short treatise on the art of -painting and the power of linear perspective, which is now deservedly -placed in your library, rich with books in every branch." These, -surely, are not the words of a literary pirate; indeed, Vasari's -whole account is vague and confused. After telling us that Pacioli -had appropriated the matter of Piero's many MSS., then existing at -Borgo San Sepolcro, he adds that most of his writings were deposited -in the Urbino library, where it is obvious that neither he nor -those who have repeated his assertions ever sought them. After -every possible search, I have reason to believe that that library -now contains but two treatises by Il Borghese, nor have I found any -evidence of others having ever been there. Both are in Latin, and are -fairly transcribed on vellum in contemporary hands, with diagrams -upon the margin.[147] The former is entitled _De Perspectiva_, but -the subject is, in fact, Light,[*148] and its effect upon objects -and colours. In place of a general title, it sets out with a dictum -that "light is to philosophical inquiry what demonstrative certainty -is to mathematics." The volume, bearing the arms and initials of -Duke Federigo, must have been written for his library: though -anonymous, it is clearly the work referred to in a dedication which -we shall presently quote, the only other MS. upon perspective in the -collection being that by Vitellioni (No. 265). - -[Footnote *144: Cf. PICHI, _La Vita e le Opere di Piero -della Francesca_ (Borgo S. Sepolcro, 1893); WITTING, _Piero -dei Franceschi_ (Strassburg, 1898); CROWE & CAVALCASELLE, -_op. cit._, vol. III. BERENSON, _op. cit._, p. 69, says: -"The pupil of Domenico Veneziano in characterisation, of Paolo -Uccello in perspective, himself an eager student of this science, as -an artist he [Piero] was more gifted than either of his teachers." -Fra Luca Pacioli, one of the finest mathematicians of his day, -praises Piero, and speaks of his renowned treatise on perspective, -"now in the library of our illustrious Duke of Urbino."] - -[Footnote *145: Cf. on this point MUNTZ, _Precursori e -propugnatori del Rinascimento_ (Firenze, 1902), p. 59 _et seq._ For -his life _Vita Leonis Baptistae de Albertis_, by an anonymous author, -believed to be Alberti himself, in MURATORI _R.I.S._, vol. -XXV., partly translated in EDWARD HUTTON, _Sigismondo Malatesta_ -(Dent, 1906), pp. 163-9. Cf. also MANCINI, _Vita di L.B.A._ (Firenze, -1882), and _Nuovi documenti e notizie sulla vita e gli scritti di -L.B.A._, in _Arch. St. It._, Series IV., vol. XIX.; also SCIPIONI, in -_Giornale St. d. Lett. Ital._, vol. II., p. 156 _et seq._, and vol. -X., p. 255 _et seq._] - -[Footnote *146: This is a tale like so much in Vasari. Piero -was never blind at all it seems. BOSSI, in his work on Leonardo's -_Cenacolo_ (Milan, 1810), deals minutely with this libel.] - -[Footnote 147: Vat. Urb. MSS. No. 1374 and 632. The manuscripts -by him, mentioned in No. 131 of the _Quarterly Review_, as in the -possession of his descendant, Count Marini, of Borgo S. Sepolcro, no -longer exist; and a small portrait there of himself does not appear -to be by his hand. As a further specimen of the Friar's ideas on -this matter, we may offer an extract from his _De Divina Proportione -Epistola_ (Venice, 1509), wherein he compares perspective to music, -ranking both with the geometrical sciences, since just as "the former -refreshes the mind with harmony, the latter delights it greatly by -correct distance and variety of colours." "Who, indeed, is there -that, seeing an elegant figure with its exact outlines well defined, -and seeming to want nothing but breath, would not pronounce it -something rather divine than human? And painting imitates nature as -nearly as can be told, which is proved to our eyes in the exquisite -representation, so worthily composed by the graceful hand of our -Leonardo, of the ardent desire after our salvation; wherein it is -impossible to imagine greater attention than that of the apostles, -aroused on hearing, in the words of infallible truth, 'One of you -shall betray me,'--when, interchanging with each other attitudes and -gestures, they seem to converse in startled and sad astonishment."] - -[Footnote *148: "He was perhaps the first," says Mr. Berenson, "to -use effects of light for their direct tonic or subduing or soothing -qualities." He uses light as the "plein air" school of France uses -it. See a chapter devoted to his work in my _Cities of Umbria_ -(Methuen, 1904).] - -The other volume has for title _Petri Pictoris Burgensis de Quinque -Corporibus Regularibus_. The five bodies discussed in it are, the -triangle of four bases, the cube with six faces, the octagon with -eight faces and as many triangles, the duodecahedron with twelve -faces and as many pentagons, the icosahedron with twenty faces and as -many triangles. We shall extract from the dedication to Guidobaldo I. -a passage relating to the essay and its author: "And as my works owe -whatever illustration they possess solely to the brilliant star of -your excellent father, the most bright and dazzling orb of our age, -it seemed not unbecoming that I should dedicate to your Majesty this -little work, on the five regular bodies in mathematics, which I have -composed, that, in this extreme fraction of my age, my mind might not -become torpidly inactive. Thus may your splendour reflect a light -upon its obscurity: and your Highness will not spurn these feeble and -worthless fruits, gathered from a field now left fallow, and nearly -exhausted by age, from which your distinguished father has drawn -its better produce; but will place this in some corner, as a humble -handmaid to the numberless books of your own and his copious library, -near our other treatise on Perspective, which we wrote in former -years. For it is usual to admit, at the most luxurious and festive -banquets, fruits culled by a rude and unpolished peasant. Indeed, its -novelty may ensure its proving not unpleasing; for though the subject -was known from Euclid and other geometers, it is now [first] applied -by me to arithmetical science. At all events, it will be a token and -memorial of my long-cherished attachment and continual devotion to -yourself and your illustrious house." - -This must have been written after 1482, when, if Vasari's dates be -accurate, Piero was at least eighty-four years old, and had been -blind during five lustres; a circumstance which, though not entirely -inconsistent with his cultivation of the exact sciences, would -occasion an impediment not likely to be passed over by him, when -pleading as an apology the disabilities of age. The researches of -Abbe Pungeleoni have, however, established that no such calamity -had befallen our painter in 1469, when he was the guest of Giovanni -Sanzi, at Urbino; and it is no way referred to in Pacioli's -dedication, written in 1494, while he was still alive. Altogether, -it may be questioned whether that alleged bereavement was not one -of Vasari's many inaccuracies, the most valuable portion of whose -account of this master is a notice of the frescoes executed by -him in the choir of S. Francesco, at Arezzo, wherein are depicted -the Discovery and Exaltation of the true Cross, and the Vision -and Victory of Constantine. These noble works, uniting a happy -application of his favourite studies on perspective and light, with -a grandeur and movement unknown to most of his compositions, are -now mere wrecks,[*149] in which, however, may be traced not a few -ideas subsequently appropriated by more celebrated artists. The -most remarkable of them is the Vision, the original drawing for -which has been published by Mr. Young Ottley. In the play of light -and the management of chiaroscuro, there is far more profound study -than was usual among his contemporaries, and in no other work of so -early a date have these been as successfully treated. By a not very -intelligible juxtaposition, the companion compartment is occupied -by an Annunciation, grave, solemn, almost severe, as are most of -his later paintings. The lowest and largest space on either side -of the choir, is filled by the Battle, whilst Constantine prays in -a corner, surrounded by his courtiers. These may have suggested to -Raffaele the same subject for the Stanze, but they afford no details -calculated to animate his pencil. Soldiers, horses, and banners are, -indeed, mingled together with a bustle and energy of action hitherto -unattempted; but the effect is neutralised by an all-prevailing -confusion, and by a want of groups or episodes to concentrate -the spectator's scattered interest or admiration. The design is -generally good; the modelling and character of the heads are, as -usual, excellent; the costumes are richly varied; and the horses -remind us, by their action, of Pisano's pictures and medals. If it be -true that Raffaele has repeated some of the noble ideas here freely -lavished, it seems more probable that, in his Liberation of St. -Peter, he wished to excel the tent scene, than that he bore in mind -the crowded men-at-arms when composing the Victory of Constantine. -The elements have conspired against this _chef-d'oeuvre_ of Pietro -del Borgo. Its walls were frightfully riven during last century by -an earthquake, and its menacing cracks have since been shaken by -thunderbolts. Although the repairs have been judiciously limited -to securing the plaster, without attempting any restoration of the -frescoes, several compartments are almost wholly defaced. Some female -groups, however, remain, which yield to nothing that Masaccio has -left for the plaudits of posterity. - -[Footnote *149: They are in quite fair preservation as things go.] - -In much better preservation is a hitherto unnoticed painting on -the wall of a chapel in the cathedral of Rimini, dated 1448. It -represents Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, whom we have so often -named in the first volume of this work, kneeling in prayer before -his patron saint, Sigismondo, king of Hungary. The wide and once -beautifully graduated landscape has unfortunately suffered; but the -favourite dog,[*150] crouching behind, is evidently as striking -a likeness as his master, whose dignified character and serious -pose give to what is but a laboriously accurate portrait, the -spiritualised grandeur of a noble devotional composition. It embodies -the verity of nature, exempt from the vulgarity of naturalism. - -[Footnote *150: There are two greyhounds lying side by side facing -opposite ways.] - -We have to lament the disappearance of whatever works in fresco -Pietro del Borgo may have executed for Urbino, unless we attribute -to him, on an already noticed lunette over the outer doorway of S. -Francesco, at Mercatello, a beautiful half-length Marriage of St. -Catherine. Of the small pictures, which he is said by Vasari to have -painted for that court, one only remains; it is in the sacristy -of the Urbino cathedral, and is a monument of great interest as -regards the master and his patrons. On one side is the Flagellation -of Christ before Pilate, in an open court enriched with a beautiful -perspective of colonnades and architectural ornament. On the other -is introduced a detached group of three figures in conversation, -magnificently attired, who are generally called at Urbino the -successive sovereigns Oddantonio, Federigo, and Guidobaldo I.; but -their ages, compared with that of the painter, are irreconcileable -with such a supposition. The Abbe Pungeleoni, in his _Life of -Sanzi_, considers them to represent Count Guidantonio and his -successors, Oddantonio and Federigo; or they may more probably be -portraits of Oddantonio and the two evil counsellors who led him and -themselves to destruction, as narrated in our third chapter.[151] -In the graphic character and fine modelling of their features is -displayed one of those peculiar excellences which Il Borghese was -able, from his knowledge of perspective and light, to introduce into -the practice of pictorial art, and which he is said to have carried -out by making finished figures of clay, and draping them with various -materials. This precious little picture is signed _Opus Petri de -Borgo Sci. Sepulcri_, and we have already quoted it as illustrative -of both his first and second manner. I have been so fortunate as to -trace three more of the Urbino pictures of this master, hitherto -unnoticed. At the devolution of the duchy to the Holy See, they -found their way into the possession of Urban VIII., and now adorn -the private apartment of his successor, Prince Barberini, at Rome, -where they pass under the name of Mantegna. The first, a portrait -of Duke Federigo and his son, has been already described. Having -been executed about 1478, when Guidobaldo was five or six years -old, and when the painter, according to Vasari, was above eighty, -it would afford conclusive evidence against the hitherto received -date of Pietro's birth.[152] The other two are companion pictures, -and though hung too high, appear in excellent preservation. Both -are architectural designs on panel, one representing the court of a -palace, the other a basilicon-like interior, with elaborate plastic -decorations and very clever perspective; a variety of figures are -introduced, but the subjects are not known.[*153] To these, and -still more to some of his earlier productions, may be applied the -observation of Fra Castiglione, that "the works of Pietro, and those -of his contemporary, Melozzo da Forli, with their perspective effects -and intricacies of art, are appreciated by connoisseurs rather than -admired by the uninitiated."[*154] - -[Footnote 151: Passavant conjectures this group to be a satire upon -three neighbouring princes who were Duke Federigo's enemies, and -seems to consider the picture influenced by some Flemish master. If -painted after the visit of Justis of Ghent, it can hardly represent -Oddantonio. See below, ch. xxx.] - -[Footnote 152: It is very unsatisfactorily engraved in -BONNARD'S _Costumes du Treizieme au Quinzieme Siecle_.] - -[Footnote *153: None of these three belongs to Piero.] - -[Footnote *154: It is a curious comment on this that a man like Mr. -E.V. Lucas, certainly not "a connoisseur," tells us in his book, -_A Wanderer in London_ (Methuen, 1906), that he "once startled and -embarrassed a dinner table of artists and art critics by asking -which was the best picture in the National Gallery. On my modifying -this terrible question to the more human form--Which picture would -you choose if you might have one? and limiting the choice to the -Italian masters, the most distinguished mind present named at -once Tintoretto's _Origin of the Milky Way_.... After very long -consideration," he continues, "I have come to the conclusion that -mine would be Francesca's _Nativity_. Take it for all in all, I am -disposed to think that Francesca's _Nativity_ appeals to me as a work -of compassionate beauty and charm before any Italian picture in the -National Collection."] - -The important influence of Pietro del Borgo upon Umbrian art is -confirmed by Vasari, in naming among his scholars Perugino and -Signorelli, the latter of whom worked at Urbino in 1484, and again, -ten years later. But were our information as to his pupils more -ample, we might probably find among them Melozzo da Forli, to whom, -and to other names connected with the duchy we shall return in our -thirty-first chapter. Prominently among its painters, Lanzi has -enumerated Bartolomeo Corradi, who became a predicant friar by the -title of FRA CARNEVALE. Nothing is known of this talented -limner beyond the fact that he combined his art with the duties of -parish priest, at Castel Cavellino, and died soon after 1488. His -best known work was executed for the great altar of S. Bernardino, -near Urbino, as an _ex voto_ commemoration of Federigo's piety on -the birth of his son in 1472. In it the Duke's portrait, and those -of several of his children, are said to be introduced. Indeed, there -are not wanting old authorities who regard the Madonna and Child as -likenesses of Countess Battista and her infant Guidobaldo. I receive -with caution a conjecture which, repugnant to the ideas of Umbrian -art at that period, would fasten a charge of profane naturalism upon -one whom I should gladly consider as a purely Christian painter. -Pungeleoni ascribes to him a small devotional picture preserved in -the church of the Zoccolantines at Sinigaglia, in which two accessory -figures probably represent the Prefect Giovanni della Rovere and his -wife, the sister of Duke Guidobaldo I.; but their marriage only took -place about the supposed time of this painter's death; and, at all -events, had the Abbe ever seen it, he could not have mistaken it for -a sketch of the altar-piece of S. Bernardino. The latter remains in -the Brera, at Milan, among the unrestored French plunder; and I have -sought in vain for other identified works of Carnevale in the duchy, -although inclined to attribute to him more than one fine but nameless -altar-picture which I have found there.[155] - -[Footnote 155: Such is the magnificent Annunciation in a small chapel -three miles west from Pesaro, known as the Madonna del Monte, but -properly the oratory dedicated in 1505 to the Madonna dell'Annunziata -di Calibano, by Ludovico del Molino, _alias_ degli Agostini. Its pure -and beautiful countenances are less beatified in expression than -earlier Umbrian works, but in composition and draperies it yields to -none, and excels all others in gorgeous effect. The gilding is freely -laid on in broad masses, and a scintillation in solid gold streams -from the Almighty upon the Madonna's bosom, while the angels' wings -are starred with peacock's plumage. Yet, as in Gentile da Fabriano's -best works, all this glitter is subdued by an earnest and solemn -feeling becoming the theme. The panel is inscribed "_Ludovicho di -Jachomo Aghostini merchatanti da Pesaro a fato [fare] deta tavola a -di xxiv. di Decienbre, mdx._" How unfortunate that the pious donor -had not recorded the artist's name as well as his own! I was unable -to visit an altar-piece at Montebaroccio ascribed to Fra Carnevale's -pencil.] - -Our description of Duke Federigo's palaces has made us acquainted -with the name of FRANCESCO DI GIORGIO, a painter and sculptor, as well -as an architect and engineer. In the two former of these capacities -he can be appreciated only in his native Siena, where two of his -very rare pictures remain in the Belle Arti.[*156] His tendency -to Umbrian feeling is obvious, and had Padre della Valle been -acquainted with the productions of Fabriano and della Francesca, -he would have detected in him a nearer approach to their manner -than to that of Signorelli. But his fame depends on his numerous -creations in architecture and fortification; whilst his inventions -in military engineering were important additions to the art of war, -as then conducted. Vasari's brief and blundering notice of him was -supplemented by the researches of Padre della Valle, whose greedy -patriotism maintained for him the merit of the Urbino palace, a -claim of which we have formerly disposed.[157] Gaye, and the editor -of the Florentine edition of Vasari {1838}, have added many new and -interesting notices;[*158] but his name has of late received still -more ample illustration at the hands of Carlo Promis, of Turin, by -whom his life and principal writings have been edited, at the expense -of the Chevalier Saluzzi. Francesco, son of Giorgio, son of Martino -of Siena, was born in a humble rank about 1423; and, our earliest -notice of his professional labours is in 1447, when we find he was -one of the architects of the Orvieto cathedral. In 1447, we find him -in Duke Federigo's service, which Promis supposes him to have entered -shortly before; and there he appears to have remained until the death -of that prince in 1482. The palace of Urbino having been already -many years in progress, and not being mentioned by him, there is no -reason to suppose he was much occupied upon it; and we find his own -pen attesting the onerous duty imposed upon him by Federigo, as his -military engineer. In July 1478 he was attached to the allied army, -which the Duke commanded; and, in his autograph MS. speaks of having -a hundred and thirty-six "edifices" on hand at once by his order. -Among these, doubtless, there were many strongholds in the duchy; and -he has left descriptive plans of Cagli, Sasso Feretro, Tavoletta, and -Serra di S. Abondio. From various authorities cited by Promis, we may -add, as probably of his construction, Castel Durante, S. Angelo in -Vado, Orciano, S. Costanzo, S. Agata, Pietragutola, Montecirignone, -S. Ippolito, Montalto, La Pergola, Cantiano, Fossombrone, -Sassocorbaro, Mercatello, Costaccioro, Mondavio, and Mondolfo, -besides numerous churches which he certainly planned for Federigo. -The fortresses of Urbino have been estimated at nearly three hundred, -a number which must seem at once superfluous and incredible, but -for the entire change which the arts of war and defence were then -undergoing, consequent on a general introduction of artillery.[*159] -Federigo, perceiving the importance of strengthening his castles and -citadels against - - "The cannon-ball, opening with murderous crash - The way to blast and ruin," - -not only kept in active employment the most able engineer whom Italy -then possessed, but, according to that artist's testimony, by his own -experience and judicious suggestions, greatly facilitated the tasks -which he imposed upon Francesco di Giorgio. - -[Footnote *156: There is a predella picture by him at S. Domenico, -in Siena, and another in the Uffizi Gallery. He was the pupil of -Vecchietta.] - -[Footnote 157: See vol. I., pp. 147-50, 161-3; _Lettere Sanesi_, -III., p. 79; _Carteggio d'Artisti_, _passim_, I., pp. 255-316.] - -[Footnote *158: Cf. also BORGHESE & BANCHI, _Nuovi Documenti -per la Storia dell'Arte Senese_ (Siena, 1898).] - -[Footnote *159: On the fortresses of the Marche generally, see -GASPARI, _Fortezze Marchigiane e Umbre_, in _Arch. St. per -le Marche e per l'Umbria_, vol. III., p. 80 _et seq._] - -Nor was it his professional services alone which the Sienese artist -placed at his patron's disposal. The documents published by Gaye and -Promis show him accredited on various occasions as the Duke's envoy -to the government of his native city; and his _Liber de Architectura_ -is dedicated to Federigo, at whose request, probably, it was -composed. Vasari adds that he portrayed him both in painting and on -a medal; and, in return perhaps for these diversified labours, that -prince thus interceded for his admission into the magistracy of Siena. - - "Mighty and potent Lords and beloved Brethren; - - "I have here in my service Francesco di Giorgio, your - fellow-citizen and my most favourite architect, who desires - to be placed in your magnificent magistracy, as the - ambition of his genius, excellence, prudence, and worth. I - therefore pray your Highnesses that you will be pleased to - elect him thereto, and to admit him into the number of your - public men, which I shall regard as a special boon, as will - be more fully stated to you on my behalf by your mighty - ambassador. And your Lordships may be assured that were I - not convinced that only good, faithful, and useful service - is to be looked for from him, I should not propose him, nor - intercede in his favour. And nothing more gratifying could - I ever receive from your Lordships, to whom I offer and - commend myself. - - "From Durante, the 26th July, 1480. - - "FEDERICUS DUX URBINI AC DURANTIS COMES, et Regius - Capit. Gener., et S. Ro. Ecclesie Gonfalonierus."[160] - -[Footnote 160: MSS. in Public Library at Siena; printed in Bottari, -Lettere Pittoriche I. App. No. 36, and in Gualandi, Memorie -Artistiche.] - -Although this request was unsuccessful, so well was Francesco -appreciated at home, that on several occasions Duke Guidobaldo vainly -applied to the magistracy for his services. Yet he was frequently -employed in the duchy from 1484 to 1489, the palace at Gubbio -affording him partial employment. His military reputation being now -widely spread, he had commissions from various princes, especially -the sovereigns of Milan and Naples; but through these labours we need -not follow him. The time of his death is not known; he, however, -outlived most of the fortresses he had raised for Federigo, which -were dismantled by order of his son, on abandoning his state in -1502, a policy suggested by confident reliance on his subjects' -attachment, as the best guarantee of his eventual restoration. -Francesco's MSS., dispersed in various libraries, are described in -Promis's first volume. One of them, on architecture, transcribed for -Guidobaldo II., was presented by him to Emanuel Filibert, Duke of -Savoy, in 1568, and now ornaments the Royal Library at Turin. The -invention of that variety of bastion called in Italy _baluardo_, and -in Germany _bollwerk_, has been claimed for several engineers, among -whom are three names belonging to Urbino,--Duke Francesco Maria I., -Centogatti the painter, and Commandino the mathematician. Promis, in -the second volume of his work already quoted, disposes of all these -pretensions in favour of Francesco di Giorgio. His learned discussion -may be allowed to decide this point, to which little interest -now attaches, as well as the question of explosive mines for the -destruction of military defences. Such an application of gunpowder -had already been partially resorted to, but the Sienese engineer -first established its importance and methodised its application. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII - - Giovanni Sanzi of Urbino--His son the immortal - Raffaele--Early influences on his mind--Paints at Perugia, - Citta di Castello, Siena, and Florence--His visits to - Urbino, and works there. - - -With GIOVANNI SANZI[*161] we have already made acquaintance -as an epic poet. The patient labour of the Abbe Pungeleoni, and -the critical acumen of Passavant, have amply refuted Malvasia's -spiteful, and Lanzi's careless but often quoted assertions, that -the father of Raffaele was an obscure potter, or, at best, an -indifferent artist, from whom his son could learn little.[162] Those -only who have traced out his pictures in the remote townships and -villages of his native duchy, and who estimate his works by coeval -productions, can appreciate his real merits. Giovanni Sanzi was of -a humble family in the village of Colbordolo, a few miles east of -Urbino, for whose fictitious ancestry of artists there has been -substituted by his painstaking but most puzzle-headed eulogist, a -pedigree of peasantry from the middle of the fourteenth century. The -son of one Sante, he assumed the patronymic Santi or Sanzi, which -was subsequently euphonised by Bembo for his son into Sanzio. His -grandfather Peruzuolo, after his losses by the Malatesta forays -already alluded to,[163] had sold the petty holdings he possessed at -Colbordolo, and removed his family to Urbino, where Sante became a -retail dealer in various wares, and where he seems to have died in -easy circumstances in 1485, nine years before his son. The inquiries -of Pungeleoni have failed to ascertain the time of Giovanni's birth, -but it was probably to these losses that the poet thus touchingly -alludes, in his dedication,[164] as the impulse under which he -became a painter:--"It would be tedious to relate the many straits -and headlong precipices through which I have steered my life since -fate devoured in flames my paternal nest, wherein was consumed all -our substance; but arriving at the age when perhaps inclination -would have led me to some more useful exercise of talent, of the -many lines by which I might have gained a living, I devoted myself -to the marvellous art of painting, which indeed (in addition to the -round of domestic cares, of all human concerns the most ceaseless -torment) imposes a burden heavy even to the shoulders of Atlas, -and in which distinguished profession I blush not to be enrolled." -Neither are we enabled to throw any light upon the lessons to which -Giovanni resorted for instruction in the calling which he thus, at -some sacrifice of material interests, had adopted. The catalogue of -contemporary artificers introduced into his Chronicle, including -all that was eminent from Gentile da Fabriano to Leonardo da Vinci, -shows a most extensive acquaintance with their respective styles, as -well as their names.[165] Mantegna is one of them whom he specially -extols; there is, however, no similarity between their productions. -Yet, though we know nothing of Sanzi's artistic education, the -works which Nelli, Gentile da Fabriano, and Piero della Francesca -left in Urbino must have influenced his early impressions; and it -is singular that nothing is said by them of these, and others who -painted in the duchy, beyond the passing notice bestowed with little -discrimination on all his contemporaries. The marked exclusion -from this list of Justus of Ghent is plausibly conjectured by -Passavant to indicate a professional jealousy of one who treasured -as his secret the so-called oil painting brought by him from -Flanders, and certainly never attained by Giovanni. Sanzi's manner -partakes generally of the Umbrian character,--grave, reflective, -self-possessed, without aiming at dramatic effect or artificial -embellishment, yet not deficient in variety, or graceful expression. -More severe than Perugino, he approaches the serious figures of -Melozzo da Forli, but subdues their naturalism by an infusion of -devotional sincerity and simple feeling. He is partial to slender -forms and delicately drawn feet and hands, but the contours are dark -and hard, the flesh-tints dull and heavy, tending to cold gray in the -shadows, and generally deficient in middle tints and reflections. -His female faces are oval, often of a dusky complexion, and their -foreheads singularly full. In the nude, he was in advance of his -age, and in landscape he attained great proficiency. Pungileone -enumerates about twenty of his pictures, many of them still in their -original sites, and exhibiting considerable inequality of merit. -But his _capo-d'opera_, and one of the most important monuments of -Umbrian art, is the fresco in the Tiranni chapel, at S. Domenico -of Cagli. In the recess over the altar is the Madonna, enthroned -between two angels, in one of whom is understood to be portrayed -the young Raffaele, then a child of eight or nine years old. At the -sides stand Saints Peter, Francis of Assisi, Thomas Aquinas, and -John Baptist. On the lunette above, Christ has just emerged from his -tomb in the mountain rock: a glorious Deity, the conqueror of death, -he bears in his left hand the banner of salvation, while his right -is raised to bless a redeemed world, and scattered around lie six -guards asleep, foreshortened in various and difficult attitudes. The -vaulted roof displays a choir of angelic children, sounding their -instruments and chanting songs of glory to the Saviour, who occupies -its centre, holding the book of life: and on the external angles -are small medallions of the Annunciation. There is, perhaps, no -contemporary painting superior to this in grandeur of composition and -stately pose of the figures; nor is it less admirable for novelty of -composition and variety and ease of movement. The design is at once -correct and flowing, and the expression, though fervid, oversteps not -truth and nature. Passavant well observes that the breadth, vigour, -and dexterous treatment of this painting proved its author to have -been well practised in fresco, although but one other such work of -his has escaped destruction or whitewash. In his house at Urbino, -there is a small mural painting, removed many years since from the -ground-floor to the first story, which tradition fondly claims as a -boyish production of Raffaele, but which Passavant ascribes to Sanzi, -conjecturing it to represent his wife and child. It is impossible to -pronounce a satisfactory judgment as to the master, from the load of -over-painting in oil. Though called a Madonna and Child, it seems -rather a gentle mother, who, having hushed her babe to sleep upon -her knee, reads from the breviary on a stand by her seat, and the -composition and attitudes present a charming naivete and natural -expression. Connoisseurs agree in rejecting its claims as a work of -Raffaele; nor does it quite resemble his father's usual type, though -it is difficult to substitute any more plausible theory for the -conclusion of Passavant. The reader may form his own judgment from -the accompanying outline, bearing in mind that much of the drapery -belongs to the pencil of a merciless restorer. - -[Footnote *161: See works quoted p. 138, note *1 _supra_.] - -[Footnote 162: _Elogio Storico di Giovanni Santi_; Rafael von Urbino. -The few facts of importance which the Abbe's microscopic researches -have ascertained are scarcely extricable from the confusion that -prevails in his eulogy and its accompanying, or rather darkening, -notes. The catalogue of Sanzi's works is useful to travellers, though -sadly deficient in judicious criticism. The good Padre was more able -to appreciate a mouldering MS. than a fine painting.] - -[Footnote 163: See vol. I., p. 94.] - -[Footnote 164: See it already described at p. 138.] - -[Footnote 165: See Appendix III.] - -[Illustration: Rafaello Sanzi di Anni Sei nato il di 6 apr. 1483 -Sanzi Padre dipinse - -_Gio. Sanzi pinx._ _L. Ceroni sculp._ - -RAPHAEL, AGED SIX YEARS - -_From a picture once in the possession of James Dennistoun_] - - * * * * * - -Such was the father to whom there was born at Urbino, on the 6th of -April, 1483,[*166] a son RAFFAELE[167]; the superiority of -whose qualities to those of preceding artists, and to ordinary men, -has been acknowledged in several languages by the epithet "divine." -Although ever the object of pride and popularity to all Italy, the -incidents of his life have, until of late years, been comparatively -neglected, and more ample justice has been rendered to his fame by -ultramontane than by native biographers. Vasari's narrative, though -compiled with more than his usual pains, and lavish in laudatory -epithets, is far from satisfactory. Its author was the partial -historian of a rival school, the favourite pupil of its jealous head. -As a Florentine, moreover, he was bound by Italian usage to keep in -shadow the merits of all "foreign" competitors and teachers. Raffaele -he never saw, whose best pupils had left Rome ere Vasari visited the -eternal city: with his Apennine home, its records and memorials, the -latter had probably no personal acquaintance. While, therefore, we -own our obligations to the writer of Arezzo for many important facts -and valuable criticisms, we feel surprised that during above two -centuries no attempt was made to supplement his obvious deficiencies. - -[Footnote *166: The works on Raphael would fill a library. In -addition to the usual sources of information, see-- - -BRANCA, _L'ingegno l'arte e l'amore di R. e la nevrosi del -suo genio_ (Firenze, 1895). - -CAMPORI, _Notizie ined. di R. tratte da docum. dell. -archivio palatino di Modena_ (Modena, 1862). - -CAMPORI, _Notizie e docum. per la vita di Giov. Santi e di -R._ (Modena, 1870). - -CROWE & CAVALCASELLE, _Raphael: His Life and Works_ (London, -1882-1885). - -FUA, _Raffaello e la Corte di Urbino_, in _Italia -Artistica_, An. IV., p. 178 _et seq._ - -MUNTZ, _R. sa vie, son oeuvre et son temps_ (Paris, 1881). - -MUNTZ, _Raphael: His Life, Works, and Times_. Edited by Sir -W. Armstrong (London, 1896). - -ALIPPI, _Un nuovo documento int. a R._ (Urbino, 1880). - -ROSSI, _La casa e lo stemma di R._, in _Arch. St. dell'arte_ -(Roma), An. I., fasc. I. - -ANON., _La Casa di R. in Roma_, in _Arte e Storia_ -(Firenze), An. VI., No. 17. - -RICCI, _La Gloria d'Urbino_ (Bologna, 1898). - -ANON., Notice of a portrait of R. in the collection of James -Dennistoun (Edinburgh, 1842).] - -[Footnote 167: We have already accounted for the change of his -surname to Sanzio, at p. 216. His Christian name, in modern Italian -Raffaello, seems to have been spelt by himself Raphaello and Raffaele. -*Raphael was born on Good Friday, 28 March, 1483.] - -[Illustration: _Anderson_ - -RAPHAEL - -_After the portrait by himself in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence_] - -Another meagre life of Raffaele, composed soon after his death, and -upon which Vasari seems to have drawn largely, was published by -Comolli in 1790, from an anonymous MS. - -It may be well to preface these observations by borrowing a passage -of equal aptness and eloquence from an able review of Passavant's -work.[168] - -[Footnote 168: _British and Foreign Review_, vol. XIII., p. 248.] - -"We may doubt whether in the whole range of modern history, or -within the compass of modern Europe, one moment or one spot could -be found more singularly propitious than those which glory in -Raffaele's birth. He was happy in his parentage and in his patrons, -in his master and in his pupils, in his friends and in his rivals: -the first misfortune of his life was its rapid and untimely close. -He was late enough to profit by the example, early enough to feel -the living influence of four of the greatest masters of his art, of -Leonardo da Vinci, Michael Angelo, Giorgione, and Fra Bartolomeo. The -art of painting in oil had been introduced into Italy barely half a -century before his birth; its technical difficulties were already -mastered, but it still awaited a master's hand to develop its latent -capabilities. His short life included the Augustan age of papal Rome, -the age of its splendour and magnificence, if not of its power, and -he died almost before the far-off sound of the rising storm had -broken the religious calm, or foretold the coming miseries of Italy. -The two pontiffs whom he served out-shone the most illustrious of -their predecessors in their luxurious tastes and lavish patronage -of the fine arts; and these arts still served the Church, not only -with the grateful zeal of favoured children, but with the earnest -devotion of undoubting faith.... In the age of Raffaele, while the -rich and often graceful legends of the Catholic mythology still -retained their ancient hold on the popular belief, the growing taste -among the learned of the day for the literature and philosophy of -ancient Greece had done much, by softening their early rudeness ere -it chilled their early feeling, to mould them to the higher purposes -of art. Christian art too, relinquishing at last her long attachment -to traditional types and conventional treatment, was willing to -exchange a fruitless opposition to the graces and beauties of ancient -art, for a bold attempt to enlist them in her service." - -In truth, when we examine the character and the times of those men -who have left the stamp of their genius most deeply on the mind or -destinies of mankind, we generally find a providential adaptation -of the one to the other. So was it with the greatest masters of -art. Had Michael Angelo appeared a century sooner, he would have -found the public unprepared, by a gradual advance of naturalism, -for the revolution which he was destined to bring about. They would -have seen in him the terrible, without perceiving how much truth -accompanied it. Deprived of the sympathy and encouragement which no -wayward spirit ever more demanded, he would have failed to achieve -the marvellous, and might have perhaps scarcely risen above the -monstrous. Leonardo da Vinci could, in any epoch, have given sweet or -intellectual qualities to beautifully moulded features, but instead -of enlightening the world upon the theory and practice of his art, -and developing the infant powers of mathematical engineering, he -might in an earlier age have been an alchymist, in a later one the -improver of spinning-jennies. Titian, who would have been cramped by -the lessons of a Crivelli, grew to manhood ere the league of Cambray -had curbed the golden coursers of St. Mark's; and thus he formed -his beau-ideal of noble bearing ere the subjects for his pencil had -ceased to be the arbiters of Italy, the merchant-princes of the -world. A mind such as Raffaele's, would in all circumstances have -found or created materials of beauty. He might have been the purest -of devotional painters in the days of Giotto, a reformer of corrupted -taste in those of Bernini; but, placed on the confines of the old -manner and the new, it was his proud distinction to perfect them both. - -Our antecedent remarks on the Umbrian masters have afforded us data -for ascertaining the state of painting in the duchy at the advent -of Raffaele. There were, indeed, few pictures within its bounds -upon which the youthful aspirant might form an exalted style, but -in his father he possessed an instructor competent to point out -all that was worthy of study among contemporary limners, as well -as to initiate him in the mechanism of his profession.[169] Too -early was he deprived of this advantage,[*170] but not before he -had been the companion of his parent's labours. Whilst we refuse to -even his precocious genius the credit of working upon the fresco at -Cagli,[171] the introduction of his portrait into it proves that he -witnessed its progress. It was perhaps on similar opportunities that -he imbibed, before the beautiful Madonnas of Romita and Forano, those -purely devotional inspirations which are believed to have influenced -his earlier and happier creations.[172] - -[Footnote 169: See Appendix IV.] - -[Footnote *170: Giovanni died when Raphael was eleven, in 1494.] - -[Footnote 171: See above, p. 218.] - -[Footnote 172: See above, p. 195-6.] - -With a mind thus prepared, and with the encouraging example of the -Feltrian court, where talent and genius were sure passports to -patronage and distinction, he was sent to study at Perugia soon after -his father's death. This bereavement, which clouded his domestic -peace not less than his artistic prospects, occurred in 1494, and -was immediately followed by the loss of his maternal grandfather -and grandmother, leaving him in the hands of a selfish and litigious -stepmother. At this juncture, his guardian and paternal uncle -Bartolomeo judiciously selected as a master for him Pietro Vannucci, -called Perugino,[*173] the tender melancholy of whose candid and -unimpassioned countenances contradict Vasari's wanton libels on -his fair name, not less than a motto on his self-limned portrait, -first noted by Mr. Ruskin, which indicates his belief that the fear -of God is the foundation of artistic excellence.[*174] Whatever -difference of opinion regarding the merits of that painter may have -originated in the occasional inequality of the works attributed to -him, no contemporary sent forth more scholars of excellence, or so -faithfully maintained the integrity of Christian sentiment against -ever increasing innovations. Unfortunately we are possessed of no -authentic particulars regarding the interval which young Sanzio spent -in a studio so congenial to his nature, or the paintings in which -he had a hand; and thus those years most important to the formation -of his character and style are a blank in his biography.[*175] At -Perugia and elsewhere there are a few devotional pictures ascribed -to him, by tradition or as signed with his initials; but even were -their authenticity less doubtful, their insignificance and entire -conformity to the type of Perugino would almost remove them from -criticism. The admitted fact that Pinturicchio, a man of high genius, -and about thirty years his senior, had recourse to the beardless -Raffaele for designs, when employed to paint the cathedral-library -at Siena, establishes thus early the two leading features of his -after life, supereminent ability and conciliatory manners; and two -of these drawings remain to prove how superior were the conceptions -of the boy, to the execution of his matured comrade, excellent as -that beyond all question is. He probably attended Perugino to Fano -in 1497, when painting those lovely altar-pieces in S. Maria Nuova, -which yield to no other production of his placid and expressive -pencil, although we can scarcely accept a tradition which ascribes -to the pupil some Madonna groups in the predella, upon the ground of -their excelling his master's capacity. - -[Footnote *173: This is not so. The first master of Raphael was -Timoteo Viti, who, having left home in 1490 to enter Francia's -workshop, returned to Urbino in April, 1495. Timoteo was then -twenty-six years old. There is a beautiful portrait of him by himself -in the British Museum. The first undoubted work of Raphael, probably -painted while he was a pupil of Timoteo, is the _Vision of a Knight_, -in the National Gallery. Having served his apprenticeship to Timoteo, -Raphael entered the most famous workshop in Umbria--one of a crowd of -pupils--that of Perugino.] - -[Footnote *174: The suggestion that Perugino was an atheist, and died -without the Sacraments of the Church, rests on no good foundation.] - -[Footnote *175: The first independent picture which he painted after -coming to Perugia was the _Crucifixion_, now in the possession of Mr. -Ludwig Mond. This was painted in 1501 or early in 1502, because the -Vitelli for whom it was painted were driven out of Citta di Castello -in the latter year. I know nothing of any return to Urbino in 1499. -He went back in 1504.] - -[Illustration: _Alinari_ - -MADONNA AND CHILD - -_After the picture by Giovanni Santi, in the Pinacoteca of Urbino_] - -Raffaele is supposed to have returned in 1499 to a home where he -found few attractions. The moment was unpropitious for attracting -the ducal patronage. Guidobaldo had retired from the Bibbiena -campaign invalided and dispirited; the descent of French armies upon -Italy banished from his thoughts the congenial pursuits of peace, -and he repaired to Venice to take part in the coming strife. There -was little inducement for the young Sanzio to establish himself -at the board of an ungracious stepmother, so he set forth to try -his fortunes at the neighbouring capital of Vitelli, and Citta di -Castello was enriched by the first works undertaken on his own -account. One of these, S. Nicolo di Tolentino crowned by the Madonna, -has disappeared in the rapine of the French revolutionary invasion; -but another altar-picture of the Crucifixion, lately obtained -from the Fesch Gallery by Lord Ward, enables us to appreciate -this artist's extraordinary promise. But for the name RAPHAEL -URBINAS, this would probably be ranked with the works of -Perugino in which he was assisted by his pupil; and such as best -know the paintings of that master at his happiest moment, can most -appreciate the compliment of classing with them the unaided though -imitative efforts of a lad of seventeen. The Sposalizio of the -Madonna, abstracted from Citta di Castello by the French, and now at -Milan, is of four years later date, being marked 1504; but it was -little more than a repetition of a similar work of his master, which, -during the same havoc, was carried across the Alps, and remains at -Caen in Normandy.[*176] The only specimen of his pencil still in the -city which was the cradle of his fame, is a processional standard of -the _confraternita de' giustiziati_ in Trinity Church, representing -on its two sides the Trinity with Christ on the Cross, and the -Creation of Eve.[*177] Though a mere wreck, it shows a novelty of -composition and a delicacy of execution already distinguishing him -from the manner of Perugino. - -[Footnote *176: This work is a copy of Raphael's picture by Lo -Spagna. Cf. BERENSON, _The Study and Criticism of Italian -Art_, vol. II., p. 1-22.] - -[Footnote *177: The only work of Raphael's left in Perugia is the -fresco of Christ and Saints, in St. Severo, 1505.] - -The fame of these maiden efforts spread along the valley of the -Tiber, and the novice was soon recalled to Perugia, to paint for the -Oddi family an altar-piece of the Coronation of the Madonna, now with -its predella in the Vatican Gallery. In rich and varied composition, -it excels all antecedent representations of this favourite Umbrian -theme, and establishes a decided advance beyond the standard of -beauty adopted by Perugino. Now, too, he began his wonderful series -of small devotional pictures, embodying the Madonna in conceptions of -beauty which none other but the sainted limner of Fiesole has ever -approached. On this his first emancipation from Umbria, he became -acquainted with the classicism and naturalism then revolutionising -art. At Siena, his perception of beauty was gratified by an exquisite -Grecian statuary group of the Graces, which he transferred to his -tablets, and afterwards reproduced in a picture. Tempted by the -proximity of Florence, he seems to have then glanced at, rather -than examined, those new elements which Masaccio and Verocchio had -introduced, and which a host of able masters were enthusiastically -developing.[178] - -[Footnote 178: The frequent contradictions of the many writers upon -Raffaele throw a doubt upon most of his movements. Our rapid sketch -has been compiled after a careful comparison of authorities, which -we cannot stay to criticise or reconcile. *In 1504 Raphael went to -Florence. The assertion that he accompanied Pinturicchio to Siena -seems a mere invention of Sienese municipal vanity.] - -[Illustration: _Alinari_ - -ECCE HOMO - -_From the picture by Giovanni Santi in the Palazzo Ducale, Urbino_] - -The miserable state of his native duchy, as well as his many -professional engagements, fully accounts for his prolonged absence -from it; but a better state of things was now restored, of which -he hastened to avail himself. He reached Urbino in 1504, before -midsummer of which year, the Duke had returned to enjoy a tranquil -home, for the first time during above two years. The visit was well -timed, and fraught with important results to the young painter, for, -besides sharing his sovereign's patronage, he became known to his -sister, widow of the Lord Prefect, and to her son, who was about that -time formally adopted as the future Lord of Urbino. The accession of -Julius II., uncle to this youth, and his partiality to art, opened -up a wide field of promise to one thus favourably introduced to the -Pope's nearest relatives. But these dazzling prospects, and the -charms of a cultivated court, were postponed to that professional -improvement for which he thirsted; and, after executing some minor -commissions for Guidobaldo, the young Sanzio hastened back to -the banks of the Arno, where the muse of painting was rewarding -the worship of her ardent and talented votaries with revelations -of high art rarely before or since vouchsafed. The favour he had -already earned from the Prefectress is testified by the following -recommendation, which he received from her on setting out. - - "To the magnificent and lofty Lord, regarded with - filial respect, the Lord Gonfaloniere of Justice of the - distinguished republic of Florence.[179] - - "Magnificent and lofty Lord, respected as a father! The - bearer hereof will be Raffaele, painter of Urbino, who, - having a fine genius for his profession, has resolved to - stay some time at Florence for study. And knowing his - father to be very talented, and to possess my particular - regard, and the son to be a judicious and amiable youth, I - in every way love him greatly, and desire his attainment - in good proficiency. I therefore recommend him to your - Lordship, in the strongest manner possible, praying you, - as you love me, that you will please to afford him every - assistance and favour that he may chance to require; and - whatever such aids and obligations he may receive from - your Lordship, I shall esteem as bestowed on myself, and - as meriting my special gratitude. I commend myself to your - Lordship. - - "From Urbino, 1st October, 1504. - - "JOANNA FELTRIA DE RUVERE, Ducissa Sorae et Urbis - Prefectissa." - -[Footnote 179: Pietro Sodarini, Gonfaloniere for life. The original -in Latin is printed in BOTTARI'S _Lettere sulla Pittura_, -I., 1. A loose expression might lead to the conclusion that Giovanni -Sanzi was still alive, though he died in 1494; and on the strength of -it, Rosini raises doubts as to the authenticity of the letter, or the -identity of the painter, in which we cannot join.] - -This letter probably obtained him more civility than substantial -benefit; as his various Florentine works attributed to this period -were commissioned by private parties. Among these was Taddeo Taddei, -correspondent of Bembo, and a well known friend of letters, for whom -he painted the Madonna del Cardellino and another Holy Family, and of -whose hospitalities and many favours he expresses a deep sense, in -recommending him to his uncle's good offices at Urbino, whither the -Florentine probably repaired to visit its famed court. Other kind -friends and patrons were Lorenzo Nasi and Angelo Doni; but his chief -object seems to have been the society and instructions of the best -painters, which the acquaintance of his early master Perugino with -Florence, as well as his own winning manners, must have facilitated. -Leonardo da Vinci, whom Giovanni Sanzi couples with Perugino, as - - "Two youths of equal years and equal love," - -was then at the height of his fame, and in direct competition with -Michael Angelo, the eventual rival of Raffaele, whose energetic -genius was already striding forward on his ambitious career. -Fra Bartolomeo was adapting their new and advanced style to the -devotional feeling which hung around his cloister in the frescoes -of Beato Angelico. Domenico Ghirlandaio was dead, but his mantle -had fallen on a son Ridolfo, whom the young Sanzio selected as -his favourite associate, to the mutual advantage of both. In such -companionship did Raffaele study the grand creations of preceding -painters; borrowing from them, or from living artists, ideas and -expedients which his fertile genius reproduced with original -embellishments. The influence of Da Vinci may be distinctly detected -on some of his Madonnas and portraits of this period,--that of the -Dominican monk on others, and on his general colouring; but the -fresco of the former at S. Onofrio, and many works of the latter, -prove that they reciprocated the obligation, by freely adopting -his design. Early prepossessions as yet kept him exempt from the -contagion of mythological compositions; but in portraiture he found -a new and interesting field, and several admirable heads, produced -at Florence, attest his great success, as a naturalist of the most -elevated caste. - -[Illustration: _Alinari_ - -S. SEBASTIAN - -_After the picture by Timoteo Viti in the Palazzo Ducale, Urbino_] - -In an aesthetic view, the paintings and drawings executed by Raffaele -at Florence are of infinite importance, but it would lead us much too -far to examine the progressive development and naturalist tendencies -which they display. We have not attempted to separate his various -residences there from 1504 to 1508; for during these three years and -a half, that city may be regarded as his head-quarters, varied by -visits to Perugia, Bologna, and Urbino, which we shall now notice. -In 1505, he was summoned to the first of these cities to execute -three altar-pictures; one of which, at Blenheim, has been beautifully -engraved by Gruner[*180]; another adorns the Museo Borbonico; the -third, representing the coronation of the Madonna, is in the Vatican. -Of the last commission some curious particulars are preserved. -The nuns of Monte Luce having selected the young Sanzio, on the -report of several citizens and reverend fathers, who had seen his -performances, agreed to give him for the picture 120 golden ducats, -and to another artist, Berto, 80 more for the carved framework and -cornice, including three predella subjects; 30 ducats of the price -being paid in advance. Raffaele's impatience to return to his studies -soon carried him again to Florence, and a new contract for execution -of the work was made in 1516; but death had removed both the abbess -and the artist ere it was fulfilled, and ten years more elapsed -before the picture was terminated by his pupils. The earliest attempt -of Raffaele upon fresco, in the church of S. Severo, at Perugia, -is dated 1505; its chief interest arises from being a first and -incompleted idea of the grand composition which, originating with -Orcagna and Fra Angelico, he developed in the Disputa of the Vatican -Stanze. Two years later he revisited Perugia, to paint for the -Baglioni one of his noblest and most elaborate altar-pictures, which, -indeed, may be regarded as his first important dramatic composition. -Its subject was the Entombment; the many extant sketches for which, -prove the care exercised upon the cartoon, which he prepared at -Florence. It is now the chef-d'oeuvre of the Borghese Gallery, and -its beautifully pure predella is preserved in the Vatican. The -same subject was treated by Perugino, in, perhaps, the finest of his -panel pictures, which now ornaments the Pitti Gallery. - -[Footnote *180: Now in the National Gallery.] - -[Illustration: _Alinari_ - -MARGHERITA "LA FORNARINA" - -_After the picture by Raphael called La Donna Velata in the Pitti -Gallery, Florence_] - -We shall not discuss whether Raffaele's acquaintance with Francia -was formed by correspondence, or during a visit to Bologna, but -one letter addressed by him to that charming artist is preserved, -referring to much previous intercourse, and to a friendly interchange -of drawings, and of their respective portraits. Their works, at all -events, were mutually well known to each other, partly no doubt -through Timoteo Viti, the pupil of both. It is worthy of note that -Sanzio, writing to this friend after quitting Florence, the hotbed of -classicism and naturalism, commends his Madonnas as "unsurpassed in -beauty, in devotion, or in execution," thus showing the comparative -value he attached to these respective excellences, among which -"truth to nature," the favourite test of Vasari and later critics, -has no place; and it is only when he comes to speak of the artist's -own portrait, that he lauds it as "most beautiful, and life-like -even to deception." It was this common sentiment that linked these -master-minds: Raffaele was in the main a devotional painter, Francia -was almost exclusively so. - -The year 1506 was momentous to Urbino. In the spring Guidobaldo -returned, after a long absence from his capital, occasioned by -pressing solicitations of his brother-in-law the Pope, that he would -remain near him. The following autumn brought the Pontiff in person -to visit his relation, at whose court his Holiness spent four days. -During part of this year, Raffaele is supposed by Passavant to have -resided in his native city, and possibly he may there have been -presented to Julius; at all events he must have become known to -several members of the polished circle at Urbino, whose acquaintance -ere long proved useful and honourable to him at Rome, and who -were able to forward his interests, both with that Pope and his -successor. Such were Giuliano de' Medici, Castiglione, Bembo, and the -Cardinal Bibbiena, while the high tone of intellect and taste, which -prevailed in that select society, was calculated to improve as well -as gratify his noble nature. Nor was his pencil idle in the Duke's -service. Our information does not enable us absolutely to decide what -of his Urbino works were produced on this occasion, and which of them -are referable to his former visit, but we willingly adopt Passavant's -classification of the pictures he is supposed to have painted for -Guidobaldo, the first three being ascribed by that author to the year -1504. - -1. Christ in the Garden, with three disciples sleeping in the -distance, No. VIII. of Passavant's Engravings, a Peruginesque -picture, "of miniature finish" as described by Vasari, before whose -time it had passed to the Camaldolese Convent at Urbino, having been -gifted by Duchess Leonora to two members of that fraternity at her -son's baptism. Long subsequently, a prior of the Gabrielli is said -to have alienated it to his own family; and in 1844 it was purchased -from the Roman prince of that name by Mr. William Coninghame, at the -sale of whose interesting collection in 1849, it was acquired by Mr. -Fuller Maitland of Stansted in Essex. - -2. and 3. Two small pictures which, unless commissioned as _ex voto_ -offerings, belong rather to the class of romantic than devotional -compositions. They represent St. George and St. Michael subduing -their respective monsters, allegories of their triumphs over sin. The -former of these is supposed to have been executed for Guidobaldo, and -presented by him to the French King, by whom the latter was ordered -as its companion. Both remain in the Louvre. - -4. Another St. George slaying the Dragon with a lance, while the -former one uses a sword. This picture, signed on the horse trappings -RAPHELLO V., is of especial interest to our countrymen, -the Knight's knee being encircled by the Garter of England, as patron -of that order: it was painted by the Duke's command in commemoration -of his receiving this distinction; and in all probability was -carried as a present to Henry VII. by Castiglione, in 1506, when -he went to London as proxy at his master's installation. There it -graced the palace of the Tudors and Stuarts until sold for L150 by -the Commonwealth to Lord Pembroke. It was subsequently purchased -by Catherine of Russia from the Crozat Collection, in which it is -engraved. - -[Illustration: _Anderson_ - -MARGHERITA LA FORNARINA - -_After the spoiled picture by Raphael in the Galleria Barberini in -Rome_] - -5. and 6. Two easel pictures of the Madonna, stated by Vasari to have -been commissioned for the Duke of Urbino, are traced by Passavant -to the Imperial Gallery at St. Petersburg, and to M. Nieuwenhuys of -Brussels. - -7. The portrait of Raffaele by himself, now in the Florence Gallery, -is understood to have been executed at Urbino in 1506, whence it was -carried to Rome by Federigo Zucchero, and placed in the academy of -St. Luke, until obtained thence by the influence and gold of Cardinal -Lorenzo de' Medici. Passavant considers that the hair and eyes have -been darkened by restorations, and corrects a mistake of the Canonico -Crespi, who has occasioned some confusion by mistaking an old copy of -it still in the Albani Palace at Urbino for a fresco, and by writing -to Bottari in 1760 as if he had there discovered an original likeness -of Sanzio.[*181] - -[Footnote *181: None of these pictures save the last seems to be from -Raphael's hand.] - -The Holy Family and St. John in the Ellesmere Collection, called the -Madonna del Passeggio, is alleged to have been presented by a duke of -Urbino to Philip II., and by him to the Emperor. Thence it is traced -through Queen Christina to the Odescalchi and Orleans Galleries. -Passavant appears to consider the Penshanger Madonna to have also -been painted in the duchy. To the same period are ascribed missing -portraits by Sanzio of Duke Guidobaldo I. and his Duchess, as well -as of Bembo, Giuliano de' Medici, and others of their court. - -Though somewhat out of chronological order, we may here mention -the portrait of a duke of Urbino, with those of Julius II., and a -Magdalene, all said to have been from his easel, and to have belonged -to the ducal family, particulars of which will be found in the list -of Urbino pictures in the Appendix to our third volume. It, however, -seems doubtful if he ever did portray either of his successive -legitimate sovereigns; but a half-length of Lorenzo de' Medici, the -usurping Duke, was purchased in Florence by the late M. Fabre about -twenty-five years ago, and is now in the museum bequeathed by him to -Montpellier. It is ascribed to Raffaele, and there is a good copy of -it in the hall of Baroccio at the Uffizi of Florence. We have not -connected any other works of his with Urbino, which, after the visit -of 1506, he was not destined again to see. - -Writing from Florence to his maternal uncle, on the 21st of April, -1508, he expresses his regrets for the recent death of Guidobaldo, in -brief and somewhat common-place terms; and, passing to other matters, -begs that the Duke's nephew and heir may be requested to recommend -by letter his services to the Gonfaloniere, for employment on some -frescoes then in contemplation at Florence. He desires that the -favour may be asked in his own name, as essentially advantageous to -his views, specially commending himself to the young Prefect as an -old servant and follower. Yet it would seem that he had already made -for himself a better title to such patronage, in a mural painting of -the Last Supper in the refectory of S. Onofrio. The recent discovery -of this precious work, after centuries of oblivion, restores to him -the credit of his most important Tuscan production, and adds another -to the many attractions of Florence.[*182] - -[Footnote *182: This is not by Raphael.] - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX - - Raffaele is called to Rome, and employed upon the - Stanze--His frescoes there--His other works--Change in his - manner--Compared with Michael Angelo--His death, character, - and style. - - -The letter alluded to at the close of our preceding chapter may be -regarded as the matured result of Raffaele's careful study of the -Tuscan masters, and an index of his resolution to rival the admired -cartoons which had recently placed Da Vinci and Buonarroti at the -head of living artists. Another scene was, however, reserved for his -triumphs. Julius II. had begun to construct the metropolitan church -and palace of Christendom with an energy befitting his character and -the undertaking. Michael Angelo and Bramante were already in his -service, and he sought to enlist talent and genius from all quarters -for this object. The friendly influence of the ducal family, the -recommendations of Bramante, or his own extending fame, possibly an -acquaintance formed with him at Urbino in 1506, may have suggested -Raffaele as a worthy associate in the work. On the Pope's summons -he abandoned his projects at Florence early in the autumn of 1508, -and, leaving several pictures to be finished by his worthy follower -Ridolfo Ghirlandaio, - - "Repaired - To the great city, an emporium then - Of golden expectations, and receiving - Freights every day from a new world of hope." - -The tower of Borgia, named from Alexander VI., was at that period -the pontifical residence, and on its decoration the best artists -had been successfully employed. The lower story was terminated under -Alexander by Pinturicchio and his pupils; the upper had already -engaged the hands of Piero della Francesca, Signorelli, and Perugino, -but several of its compartments remained unpainted. One of these -was assigned to Raffaele, and so gratifying was his success that -the Pope, with headlong and unhappy haste, ordered all the finished -frescoes of the upper suite to be demolished, and the four rooms of -which it consisted to be delivered over to his unfettered discretion. -This lamentable precipitancy effaced many works of inestimable -importance to art, and condemned the noblest productions of pictorial -genius to walls in every respect ill-adapted for their reception. -The frescoes now occupying these _stanze_ are to Italian painting -what the Divina Commedia of Dante is to Italian poetry: the lovers -of both, in despair of imitating their excellences, have expended -their enthusiastic admiration in volumes of illustrative criticism. -These compositions of Raffaele form a magnificent epic in which -are strikingly interwoven the endowments of human intellect, the -doctrines of Catholic faith, and the incidents of ecclesiastical -history, all as conducing to the triumphs of the Christian church. - -The four rooms may be regarded as four books, each subdivided -into as many themes or cantos. In the Camera della Segnatura, the -ceiling presents allegorical figures of Poetry, Jurisprudence, -Philosophy, and Theology, with a large composition on the side walls -corresponding to each. For Poetry we have Mount Parnassus, with -Apollo and the Muses on its laurel-clustered summit, surrounded by -the most famous bards and minstrels. Jurisprudence is a severely -simple group, consisting of Prudence, Temperance, and Fortitude, -the virtues by which justice is promoted on earth; while the -text-books of Roman and Canon law are issued by Justinian and -Gregory IX., in subsidiary panels. Philosophy is embodied in the -famous School of Athens, as it has been incorrectly named, where -fifty figures, attending a scholastic disputation between Plato -and Aristotle, include the noblest names of ancient science, the -selection of whom displays extraordinary knowledge of the history -of mind. Theology, generally called the Disputa del Sacramento, -is divided into two scenes. Seated in the heavens amid an angelic -choir, the Holy Trinity is surrounded by the Madonna, the Precursor, -and a glorified assemblage of patriarchs, prophets, and warriors of -the Old Testament; apostles, evangelists, and martyrs of the New -Dispensation. Below, the fathers of the Church and its most eminent -divines expound to an audience of distinguished personages the -mysteries of faith, which are symbolised by the Eucharist exposed -upon an elevated altar in token of man's redemption. - -The stanza called that of Heliodorus has on the roof four signal -manifestations of himself by the Almighty to the patriarchs. The -first mural compartment represents the holiest mystery of the Romish -faith established in the Miracle of Bolsena, whereby a doubting -priest was supernaturally convinced of the divine presence in -transubstantiation. Opposite is the miraculous deliverance from -prison of St. Peter, the founder of the Romish Church; and the -two corresponding subjects illustrate the power committed to his -successors for arresting the invasion of pagan force personified in -Attila, and for cleansing from the temple of Christ its sacrilegious -plunderers, with Heliodorus at their head. - -Having thus illustrated the divine origin of man's chief faculties, -and of ecclesiastical authority, Raffaele in the two remaining rooms -exchanged allegory for historical delineation. That called the Stanza -del Incendio shows us the Coronation of Charlemagne by Leo III., and -the justification of that Pontiff on oath in presence of the same -Emperor; the Victory of Leo IV. over the Saracens at Ostia, and his -supernaturally staying a conflagration which threatened the basilicon -of St. Peter,--a theme belonging rather to the category of the -second room. The ceiling here, having been executed by Perugino, and -reverently spared by Raffaele from the sweeping sentence of Julius, -has no immediate bearing upon these subjects, though full of fervid -feeling. - -The last and largest of the suite is called the Hall of Constantine, -whose religious history is there delineated in four leading scenes: -his Baptism, by St. Silvester; his Vision of the Cross before Battle; -his Victory over Maxentius at the Ponte Milvio; and his Donation of -Rome and its temporalities to the successors of St. Peter. The roof, -of posterior date and far inferior merit, has nothing to do with -Raffaele's creations. - -This meagre outline may indicate the leading theme of these the -grandest compositions of modern art; but to form an idea of their -difficulties, of the varied and profound knowledge they display, of -the many noble episodes they embrace, and of all the interesting -portraits they embody, demands no brief or light study, no ordinary -learning or accomplishment. Nor is it easy to appreciate their -technical merits or artistic beauties, vast as is their extent, with -baffling and insufficient cross-lights, and a surface considerably -impaired. Hence the general disappointment felt by casual and -superficial visitors, and the superior gratification afforded -by good engravings of the series. In these, and in the not less -perfect tapestry-cartoons which it is the privilege of our country -to possess, may be appreciated Raffaele's unity of composition, his -symmetrical and unostentatious design, his full contours and flowing -lines, and the earnest but unaffected sensibility which distinguishes -his transcendent works. - -That the whole sixteen mural paintings and two of the ceilings were -designed by Raffaele is beyond question; the portions executed by -himself, and those assigned to his pupils, are matter of keen -controversy, upon which we need not enter. It is, however, agreed -that the Camera della Segnatura, and half that of Heliodorus, belong -to the reign of Julius, whilst the Stanza del Incendio was painted -under Leo X., when Sanzio's manifold employments and commissions -obliged him to entrust too much to his scholars. Of the Sala di -Costantino only two figures, painted in oil as an experiment, had -been finished when premature death closed his career of glory. The -price allowed for each fresco seems to have been about 1200 ducats of -gold.[183] Theology, the earliest of the series, painted immediately -on his arrival at Rome, has most of the freshness and devotional -sentiment of his early genius and Umbrian education. It and the -Philosophy are most pregnant with abstruse scholarship, drawn in -part from the learned companionship of Duke Guidobaldo's court. The -glowing and harmonious colouring of the Heliodorus, and Miracle of -Bolsena fully equals any known production of Venetian art; and in the -Incendio, the Heliodorus, and the Battle of Maxentius, we have the -energy and vigour of Michael Angelo, without his exaggerations. In -all may be seen the vast stride he had made from the timid Cenacolo -at Florence, while his transition from Peruginesque hatching to a -full and free streak, and a bold handling, is particularly traceable -in the Disputa, which Passavant justly characterises as surpassing -every antecedent effort of pictorial art. - -[Footnote 183: FEA, _Notizie_, p. 9. Raffaele's own letter -of 1514 mentions that sum for each Stanza.] - -The death of Julius II. in 1513, eventually proved nowise detrimental -to Raffaele's advancement; for the new Pope not only followed out -those decorations which he found in progress at the Vatican, but soon -made new calls upon their artist, whose labours during the remaining -seven years of his short span appear almost beyond belief. Of the -Stanze, ten new subjects were composed, and several of them in part -executed by him in that time, besides the architecture and all the -elaborate decoration of the Loggie, the finished cartoons for twelve -or thirteen large tapestries, the decorations of the Farnesina, -Bibbiena, Lante, Madama, and Magliana villas, the frescoes of Sta. -Maria della Pace, the Chigi Chapel in Sta. Maria del Popolo, a -variety of altar and cabinet pictures, including his Madonnas of San -Sisto and del Pesce, the Sta. Cecilia, and, last but most glorious -of all, the Transfiguration; besides numerous portraits, and many -drawings for the burin of Marcantonio. Add to this a journey to -Florence in 1514, his architectural designs for several palaces there -and at Rome, a general superintendence of the antiquities in and -around the Eternal City, and the principal charge of the building of -St. Peter's, at a yearly salary of 300 scudi. - -The necessary results of thus over-taxing mind and body was -prejudicial to the quality of the works, and to the constitution -of their author. His paintings, left in a great measure to pupils, -often showed a hurried and inferior execution, ill compensated -by the broader treatment which he was forced to adopt. The -metropolitan fabric, itself an ample occupation for the highest -genius and constant industry of one man, languished under inadequate -superintendence. The delicate frame of Raffaele, exhausted by mental -fatigue, was incapable of resisting the first attack of disease. - -But brief and utterly imperfect as this sketch has hitherto been, we -must now greatly curtail it, and pass by many of his most glorious -undertakings, to touch upon one or two general views. - -[Illustration: _Alinari_ - -THE SPOSALIZIO - -_After the picture by Raphael, once in the Ducal Collection at -Urbino, now in the Brera, Milan_] - -The devotional influences of the Umbrian school, from which Raffaele -must have imbibed his youthful impressions, were reproduced in his -juvenile works under forms of loveliness new to that mountain land. -His visits to Florence offered fresh inspirations, and taught him -to ingraft upon the conventionalities of Christian art, whatever -his keen sense of beauty could cull from the creations of beneficent -Nature. But he painted her and all her works, - - "Not as they are, but as they ought to be;" - -nothing mean or debasing found a place in his inventions, and homely -accessories were either refined or thrown into shade. On the banks of -the Arno he became acquainted with another class of elegant forms, -wherein the ancients had developed a beau-ideal, faultless in its -external qualities, but alien to religious sentiment. The reaction -against paganism, which Savonarola's eloquence had effected in the -Tuscan capital, contributed perhaps to save Raffaele from this snare; -but at the court of Rome, and more especially under the Medicean -Leo, the temptation became too strong. Before the twofold seduction -of incarnate beauty and classic forms, the types of his pristine -admiration were gradually effaced, and his fidelity to them waxed -faint. After elevating Christian painting to its culminating point, -he lent himself unwittingly to its degradation, by selecting depraved -loveliness equally for a Madonna or a Venus, by designing from it -indiscriminately a Galatea or a saint. True, that what he lost in -purity is, in the opinion of many, more than counterbalanced by his -progress towards breadth and vigour; but without entering upon so -wide an element of controversy, we may note the fact that, though -all his pupils boldly followed that "new manner," their career was -one of rapid descent, and that those who departed most widely from -their master's purest conceptions have obtained least admiration from -posterity. - -Yet we must in a great measure acquit Raffaele of participating in -the corruption which he shrank from combating. No work of depraved -taste or immoral tendency has been brought home to his pencil, -though the dissolute habits of his age readily applauded such -libertinism in Giulio Romano, Titian, and Correggio. As to the -long current statement, that his premature death was a well-earned -result of vicious indulgences, the evidence, when sifted by -recent research, entitles him to at least a negative verdict. No -contemporary testimony gives the slightest countenance to the charge. -It originated in a vague and random sentence of a commentator upon -Ariosto, wherein four assertions out of six are palpably unfounded, -and its gossiping character procured it a too ready admission from -Vasari. The pure character of his works meets it with an effectual -contradiction, on which those who best understand physiological -conformation will most implicitly rely:-- - - "Love is too earthly, sensual for his dream; - He looks beyond it with his spirit eyes." - -Another allegation remains to be examined, more detrimental to the -artist, though less so to the man. During his progress through -various styles, and in the composition of many works, Raffaele is -said to have freely appropriated the ideas of others. There can -scarcely be a doubt that his Graces were suggested by the antique -marble at Siena; that several noble conceptions were transferred by -him from the Carmine to the Vatican; that a group in the Incendio del -Borgo was borrowed from Virgil's Trojan epic; that the arabesques of -the Loggie were partly taken from the thermal corridors of Titus; -and that other still more curious resemblances have been detected -by an acute writer to whom we have already referred.[184] But such -appropriations were established by authoritative precedents, from -the conventionalities of Christian painting to the plagiarisms -of Michael Angelo. The right to repeat themselves or others was -recognised, though men of high genius rarely stooped to its absolute -exercise. Raffaele,--"always imitating, always original," if we -follow Sir Joshua's not unbiased strictures,--will accordingly be -found, on closer examination, to have adapted rather than adopted -the thoughts of others. Like the busy bee, culling sweets from every -flower, he separated the honey from the wax, and reproduced, in new -shapes and varied combinations, whatever of beauty he met with in -nature or art. We may add another dictum of Sir Joshua,--"his known -wealth was so great, that he might borrow where he pleased without -loss of credit." These considerations seem fairly applicable to the -influence exercised by Michael Angelo upon a few works of Sanzio. -But if not the canon of criticism must be impartially administered. -When the vigour of Buonarroti is adjudged to have been filched from -Signorelli, his stalwart anatomy acknowledged as the legacy of -Pollaiuolo; when Domenichino stands arraigned for transferring to -his chef-d'oeuvre, the communion of St. Jerome, the exact motive -and theme of his master, Ludovico Caracci's canvas in the Pinacoteca -at Bologna, it will be time to admit Reynolds's proposition, that -"it is to Michael Angelo we owe even the existence of Raffaele, -and that to him Raffaele owes the grandeur of his style." Sanzio, -in truth, shrank not from competing with whatever he deemed worthy -of emulation. But his was a fair and friendly rivalry, however -little its spirit was understood or reciprocated by the wayward and -overbearing Florentine, whose charge against Raffaele and Bramante -of undermining him with Julius II., adduced in an idle letter, is -not only contradicted by the character of these great men, but it -is palpably improbable. To their influence, Buonarroti ascribes the -suspension of that Pontiff's tomb, regarding which we shall have -much to say in our fifty-third chapter. But as neither of them were -sculptors, and as the Florentine was not yet known to the Pope, -either as an architect or a painter, such jealousy would have been -absurd; whilst the taunt of Sanzio's owing all he knew of art to -Michael Angelo can only be regarded as the petty ebullition of a -notoriously wayward temper. The employment of the latter upon the -huge bronze statue of his Holiness at Bologna, was the real reason -for the interruption of the monument, which it was reserved for Duke -Francesco Maria I. to have completed. - -[Footnote 184: _Quarterly Review_, No. cxxxi. pp. 20, 25, 32, 42.] - -Between these great masters no parallel can be fairly drawn, and -had they wrought in the same town they would seldom have been -placed in rivalry. But belonging to different states, and heading -the antagonist schools of Rome and Florence, the sectional spirit -of Italy has placed them in contrast, and has adopted their names -as watchwords of local jealousy. In truth, Raffaele's advancement -in anatomical accuracy was a necessary consequence of the growing -naturalism of his time; and the improvement could not fail to -develop the breadth of his pencil, as well as to enlarge the sphere -of his compositions. The absolute amelioration of his works, after -he settled at Rome, was therefore inevitable from the spirit of -the age acting upon a genius not yet matured. That spirit Michael -Angelo exaggerated rather than embodied; and to the purer taste of -his rival many of his productions must have been beacons rather -than models. There is, indeed, some truth, with much malice, in the -sarcasm of Pietro Aretino, that the former painted porters, the -latter gentlemen. Induced, perhaps, by some such idle sneer, Raffaele -executed his Isaiah, to prove that the new manner was not beyond -his grasp; but this, his first, and fortunately his last work, in -which a direct imitation of the terrible Florentine is discernible, -is now the least admired of his mural paintings; and some portion -of its Michael Angelesque character has even been attributed to the -after-restorations of Daniele di Volterra. The Poetry in the Stanze -and the frescoes in the church of La Pace, which he has been supposed -to have borrowed from the same source, are traced by more recent -critics to works of Andrea l'Ingegno at Perugia and Assisi. After -these observations, it is scarcely requisite to notice the remark -of Vasari regarding the opportunity stealthily afforded to Raffaele -by Bramante for plagiarising from his rival's gigantic creations on -the roof of the Cappella Sistina. The casual manner in which the -allusion is made does not warrant its being taken up, as it has been, -in the light of a charge against the honour both of Sanzio and his -friend; and even had it been so intended by the Florentine, various -circumstances, besides the high character of those inculpated, are -sufficient to negative the charge. If Raffaele followed Buonarroti's -manner, it must be admitted that he alone did so without thereby -deteriorating his own. Nor ought we to forget that most critics by -whom this question is handled have merely repeated the loose views -of the biographer of Arezzo, whose great aim it was to prove that -the excellences of Sanzio were all borrowed from his Florentine -contemporaries. - -The parallel which suggests itself between these gifted -competitors[*185] has been thus stated with equal eloquence and -truth: "The genius of Michael Angelo differed from that of Raffaele -even more in kind than in degree; limited in its object, but intense -in its energy, it gloried in the exhibition of its own colossal -strength, and looked with contempt on those gentler graces that -waited unbidden on the pencil of their favourite worshipper. When the -rivals approached, it was by no common movement; Michael Angelo stood -aloof on the lofty eminence he had chosen; it was Raffaele alone who -dared at times to traverse the wide space that divided them. So great -were the difficulties, so bold the attempt, that all his success, -rapid and wonderful as it was, would have seemed almost necessary -to rescue a character less modest and unassuming than his, from the -charge of hardihood and presumption. With a noble candour he could -scarcely have learned from his haughty antagonist, Raffaele was among -the first to see, the most prompt to acknowledge, the new grandeur -he had given to art.... Even when he rises to the very confines of -sublimity, it is still the sublimity of the beautiful; and when -Michael Angelo stoops for a brief space to court the aid of beauty, -it serves like a transparent veil to soften rather than conceal the -native sublimity of his genius.... Michael Angelo, the painter of -the old covenant, has embodied his genius in the stern and gigantic -forms of Moses and the Prophets; but he failed where Raffaele has -shown as signally his skill, in the gentle dignity of the Saviour -and the heavenly purity of a mother's love.... In his paintings, as -in his character, there appears an unconsciousness of excellence, -a consummation of art carried up to the simplicity of nature, that -anticipates criticism, and allows us to indulge undisturbed in a -fulness of admiration, which grows on the reason long after it has -satisfied the heart. In Michael Angelo's best works there is often, -on the contrary, somewhat so strange and so studied in gesture -and attitude, so evident a design upon our wonder, as almost to -provoke us to resistance, and impair the pure magic of the effect by -attracting our attention to the cause."[186] - -[Footnote *185: Far from the parallel "suggesting itself," only a -disorderly mind would make it. No comparison is thinkable between -work that is absolutely different. One might as well compare a valley -with the sea.] - -[Footnote 186: _British and Foreign Quarterly_, vol. XIII.] - -Honoured by the Pontiff and his brilliant court, idolised by a band -of enthusiastic pupils, engrossed by distinguished commissions, -Raffaele had few thoughts to bestow on his early home. His ties -there had become few and feeble. His father's house had entirely -failed; his only near relation was a maternal uncle, who retained -his warm affection, and scarcely survived him. In writing to that -uncle in 1514, to acquaint him with his signal success and augmenting -wealth, he desires special commendations to the Duke and Duchess, -modestly suggesting that they might be pleased to hear how one -of their servants was doing himself honour. Gratifying as his -extending reputation must have been to them, we find no trace of -special exertions on their part to promote it. Indeed, they had ample -occupation on their own concerns, in the revolution which soon after -exiled them during the rest of Leo's pontificate. - -[Illustration: ISABELLA OF ARAGON - -_After the picture by Raphael in the Louvre_] - -One of Raffaele's best patrons was Agostino Chigi, a Sienese banker, -who, after a most successful career at Rome, became in the prime -of life the millionaire of his day, and who employed his great -wealth, and the preponderating influence it gave him with the papal -government, in a judicious promotion of art. His commissions to -Raffaele include the mural paintings of his chapel in the Madonna -della Pace, the architecture, sculpture, and mosaics of his other -chapel in the Madonna del Popolo, and the architecture and internal -decorations of his urban villa, now the Farnesina. The last has a -melancholy interest, from being the latest work which exercised the -cares of the illustrious artist. Whilst superintending its frescoes -in March, 1520,[187] a summons from the Pope brought him with hurried -steps to the Vatican, where, arriving overheated, he was detained in -a large and chilly saloon until perspiration was checked. An attack -of fever naturally followed, which, advancing to the stage called -pernicious, proved too much for his delicate and over-excited frame, -especially when still further exhausted by injudicious bleeding, in a -belief that the attack was pleurisy. Aware of his danger, he sought -support in his hour of need from the ministrations of religion and -the rites of his Church. Such is the now received account. The most -authentic particulars are contained in a letter, dated from Rome five -days after his death. - -[Footnote 187: Yet this casino, begun in 1511, is by some said to -have been completed several years before.] - -"About ten o'clock on Good Friday night [April 6th] died Raffaele of -Urbino, the most gentle and most eminent painter, to the universal -regret of all, but especially of the learned.... Envious death, -cutting short his beautiful and laudable undertakings, has torn -from us this master, still young, upon his very natal day. The Pope -himself indulges in uncontrolled grief, and, during the fifteen -days of his illness, sent at least six times to visit and console -him.... We have, indeed, been bereaved of one of rare excellence, -whose loss every noble spirit ought to bewail and lament, not simply -with passing words, but in studied and lasting elegies. He is said -to have left 16,000 ducats, including 5000 in cash, to be divided -for the most part among his friends and household; the house of -Bramante,[188] which he purchased for 3000 ducats, he has given to -the Cardinal [Bibbiena] of S. Maria in Portico. He was buried at the -Rotonda, whither he was borne by a distinguished cortege. His soul -is beyond a doubt gone to contemplate those heavenly mansions where -no trouble enters, but his memory and his name will linger long on -earth, in his works and in the minds of virtuous men.--Much less -loss, in my opinion, though the populace may think otherwise, has -the world sustained in the death of Agostino Chigi last night, as -to which I say little, not yet having heard of his affairs. I have -only learned that, between cash, debts owing to him, securities, -alum-mines, real estate, bank capital, appointments, bullion, and -jewels, he has left eight millions of golden ducats." - -[Footnote 188: It stood in front of St. Peter's, and was removed when -the piazza was extended.] - -It may be that Raffaele was timeously taken from the evil to come; -since death exempted him from witnessing like Michael Angelo, a -deluge of mediocrity he would have been powerless to withstand. -But the blow was deadened by no such calculation, and seldom have -obsequies so pompous been accompanied by grief as universal. By the -bier, around which his funeral rites were celebrated, there was -hung his great picture of the Transfiguration: the inspired beauty -of its upper portion, and the unfinished state of the remainder, -most touchingly testified his almost superhuman powers, and their -untimely extinction. The place of his sepulture was behind an altar -in the Pantheon Church, for the erection and endowment of which he -provided by testamentary bequest, and where his bones have of late -been reverently but unwarrantably disturbed. This selection appears -to have been dictated by the recent interment near the spot of Maria -Bibbiena, the grand-niece of his friend the Cardinal, to whom he had -been betrothed, and who had lately predeceased him. The little that -we know of this engagement is from the painter's own letter to his -uncle in 1514; and it would seem to have been sought by the Cardinal -rather than by the bridegroom, who appears to have abandoned his -matrimonial arrangements to friendly match-makers with more than -Italian indifference. The idle tale of his looking to a Cardinal's -hat is now set at rest, as well as nearly all the gossip that had -long circulated as to his supposed dissolute habits, and his liason -with that Roman matron whose ample contours and rich flesh-tints have -come down to us on his canvasses, and who, whether his mistress or -not (examples of such licence being then almost universal), seems to -have been a favourite model in his school.[189] - -[Footnote 189: Passavant treats the usual legends regarding the -Fornarina as after inventions, and ascribes the earliest notice of -her to PUCCINI'S _Real Galleria di Firenze_, I., p. 6.] - -The same pure taste and feeling for beauty, which characterise -the frescoes and pictures of Sanzio, would have raised him to -equal excellence in other branches of art. They are visible in -his architectural compositions, and in his numerous drawings. The -statue of Jonah in the Sta. Maria del Popolo, supposed to have been -modelled, if not wrought, by his hand, proves what he might have -attained in sculpture. He had no time for literary undertakings, but -some sonnets, casually preserved on the back of his sketches, exhibit -him as a cultivator of letters. An interesting result of his official -charge of the antique monuments remains in an eloquent report to the -Pope, in which, - - "Rome's ancient genius, o'er its ruins spread, - Shakes off the dust, and rears its reverend head." - -Its authorship has given rise to some controversy, and it seems not -unlikely that the materials supplied by Raffaele were thrown into -shape by his friend Castiglione. - -It would be interesting as well as easy to adduce from contemporary -pens proofs of the general admiration for his talents, and popularity -of his manners. But we close this notice, too brief for the subject, -though already exceeding our due limits, with the testimony of his -earliest biographer, and of one of his most recent critics. Vasari -thus commences his life of Sanzio: "The great bounty which Providence -occasionally displays, in heaping upon a single individual an -unlimited measure of favours, and all the rare gifts and graces which -generally are distributed over a long interval and many characters, -may well be seen in Raffaele Sanzio of Urbino. Equally worthy and -engaging, he was endowed with a modesty and goodness sometimes united -in those who, adding to a certain noble refinement of disposition -the attraction of amiable manners, are gracious and pleasing at all -times and with all persons. Nature presented him to the world when, -already vanquished in art by the hand of Michael Angelo, she wished -to be outdone by Raffaele, alike in art and in courtesy. In him she -luminously displayed the most singular excellences, conjoined with -such diligence, discretion, grace, comeliness, and good breeding, as -might have concealed even the greatest blemish, or the most hideous -vice. Hence it may safely be asserted, that those who possess such -rare qualities as were united in Raffaele of Urbino are not mere -human creatures, but rather, if such language be allowable, mortal -divinities." Still more eloquent is the passage lamenting his -untimely death: "Oh, happy and blessed spirit, every one delights to -talk of you, to dwell upon your actions, and to admire every design -which you have left. Well might the art of painting die when this her -noble child was called away; for when his eyes were closed she was -left all but blind. To us, his survivors, it now remains to follow -the example of his excellent manner, cherishing in our memory, and -testifying by our words, the remembrance due to his worth and our -own gratitude. For in truth we have colouring, invention, indeed the -whole art brought by him to a perfection hardly to have been looked -for; nor need any genius ever think to surpass him." In the words of -a writer upon whom we have already drawn:--"Cut down in the flower of -his age, and,--like a favoured tree of his own most favoured land, -while laden with golden fruit, bearing in still unopened blossoms -the promise of a yet brighter future,--he was mourned widely as he -was admired, deeply and truly as he had been loved. Young as he was -in years, and modest in his bearing, there is a feeling of reverence -blended in the fond regret with which even strangers dwell upon his -memory, recount his virtues, and seek to read their impress and -reflection in his works."[190] - -[Footnote 190: _British and Foreign Review_, vol. XIII., p. 274.] - -A critical examination of the peculiar merits of Raffaele's pencil, -and of the benefits which he brought to art, would lead us further -than this sketch will permit: yet there are certain points so -apparent even to superficial observers, some qualities so unanimously -dwelt upon by his eulogists, that it would be incomplete without -a passing notice of them. To him the perception of beauty was a -sixth sense, ever in exercise, and applied to the creations of his -genius, as well as to his studies from nature. To its test were -submitted those traditional forms of devotional art which influenced -his early training; it imparted life and movement to Perugino's -so-called monotonous poverty; it modified the dramatic action of the -Florentine manner; it caught the full tones of Fra Bartolomeo, and -gave dignity to the simper of Leonardo; it showed that anatomical -accuracy required no muscular contortions; it realised the grand -without verging upon the monstrous; it separated grace from grimace. -This was an innate and personal gift, that could neither be taught -nor imitated. The elevated character, harmonious composition, correct -design, and just colouring which Raffaele stamped upon his school, -were manifested in various degrees by his pupils, but the spirit of -their master was a boon from nature, which none of them could seize -or inherit. There are impetuous and daring minds who delight more -in the energy of Michael Angelo's terrible forms; others luxuriate -with greater fondness on the mellowed depth of Titian's magic tints; -whilst to some the artificial contrasts of Correggio's brilliant -lights, and Leonardo's unfathomable _chiaroscuri_ have irresistible -charm. These eminent qualities are, however, the separate endowments -of four individual minds; but Raffaele, deficient in none of them, -possessed, in no less perfection, other more important requisites -which we have noticed. It was this happy union that rendered him the -unquestioned prince of painters, while the ready obedience of his -unerring hand enabled him to realise the pure conceptions of his -refined mind with a delicacy and truth which seem to defy imitation. - -Yet his sterling merit was undeviating propriety in the conception -and execution of his works. Nothing ever emanated from his pencil -offensive to religion, morals, or refinement; all that bears his -name would honour the most fastidious reputation. To him accordingly -there was granted a purity of taste, in none other united to equal -genius. It was this that maintained the elevation of his style amid -the conflicting difficulties and temptations of that "new manner" -which it was his mission to perfect. Thus, although it is in the -productions of his second period that we find the beau-ideal most -perfectly realised, yet, even his later works, which descend to -a closer imitation of nature, seldom fail to invest her with a -dignity rare in the external world. In proportion, therefore, as he -discovered or adopted the more elaborate resources and processes of -his art, his ripening mind supplied him with themes and conceptions -worthy of them, and of immortality. The various series of subjects -which he invented for the Stanze, the Tapestries, and the Loggie, -indicate a grasp of intelligence, a variety of acquirement, never -before or since brought into the service of art, and establish -beyond question that the intellect of Raffaele fully equalled his -taste.[*191] - -[Footnote *191: Raphael seems to us to-day to have been a supreme -portrait painter. His other easel pictures, splendid as they often -are in "space composition," seem to lack sincerity. His frescoes have -a perfect decorative value, but little force or real contact with -life. If they sum up the Renaissance, they do so only in part, with -much sacrifice of truth and of that virility and assured contact of -life which were its most precious possessions.] - - - - -CHAPTER XXX - - Timoteo Viti--Bramante--Andrea Mantegna--Gian - Bellini--Justus of Ghent--Medals of Urbino. - - -Having thus traced the advance of painting in the duchy of Urbino, -from Oderigi da Gubbio, the friend of Dante, to Raffaele Sanzio, -its _facile princeps_, it might be well to pause, and leave its -rapid descent under a new dynasty of dukes to be followed in a -future portion of our work. Yet there are still some native names, -belonging to the better period both by date and by merit. Of these -the principal was TIMOTEO VITI, who was born of reputable -parentage in Urbino about 1470, and whose mother Calliope was -daughter of Antonio Alberti of Ferrara, by whom the Giottesque -manner had been brought to that city. Timoteo was sent to Bologna to -profit by the instructions of Francesco Francia, and remained there -from 1490 to 1495. The Christian painters of that city had chosen -for their Madonnas a peculiar type, which, after being transmitted -through several artists, attained its perfection from Francia's -pencil. It may be distinctly traced in the best remaining specimen -of Lippo Dalmasio, of whom we have already spoken,[192] a lunette in -fresco, representing the Madonna and Child between two saints, which -is over the door of S. Procul at Bologna. There we find a pensive -cast of head gently bent on one side in dreamy contemplation,--the -sweetly naive features, with less indeed of a divine or seraphic -expression than we see in those imagined by the Florentine and -Sienese masters, but whose look seems to indicate that, though -of earth, their owner was not earthy,--though a child of fallen -humanity, she had not tasted of actual guilt. Those who know the -Madonnas of Francia need not be told that they resemble sinless -women more than beautiful beings. Somewhat of the same sentiment -may be traced in the earlier productions of Timoteo Viti. Thus his -Magdalen, which, though now in the Pinacoteca of Bologna, was painted -for Urbino, is a grand figure in red drapery largely cast, standing -in front of a wide cavern. Her girlish countenance appears too pure -and gentle to have felt carnal passion, too placid to have wept over -human sin; her reverential attitude aspires heavenward, without, like -most of her class, appearing to loathe the earth. The mild character -of Timoteo, as well as his promising talents, established him in -the friendship of his master, whose diary touchingly records the -affection with which he bade god-speed to his pupil, on quitting his -studio.[193] - -[Footnote 192: See above, p. 161.] - -[Footnote 193: "On the 4th April, 1495, my dear Timoteo went away, -to whom may God grant all good and success." He seems to have been -received at first into Francia's "workshop" as a goldsmith, to work -for the first year without pay, the second at sixteen florins a -quarter, the last to be free, working by the piece. This indenture -was, however, broken by mutual consent after fourteen months, on his -wish to pass into the painters' studio.] - -[Illustration: _Alinari_ - -ST. SEBASTIAN - -_From the picture by Timoteo Viti in the Palazzo Ducale, Urbino_] - -Few of this painter's early works are identified, and no frescoes -from his designs appear to survive; but his altar-picture painted -for the Bonaventura chapel in the church of S. Bernardino at Urbino, -and now by the hazards of war in the Brera at Milan, offers one of -the most remarkable compositions of the age. The Annunciation, that -graceful theme of Christian art, had hitherto been treated upon one -uniform type, and though ever attractive was generally trite. The -Virgin surprised by her heavenly visitor was a subject requiring, in -contrast, the purest earthly and celestial beauty which the painter -could invent. The early masters sought not to introduce any other -character than that of hallowed loveliness, refined from worldly -sentiment; their successors added what was meant for grace of manner, -which in their hands generally fell into affected mannerism. Timoteo -held a middle course, giving play to his fancy, but restraining its -flight by the spell of holy reverence. Amid a fine and far-stretching -landscape stands the Virgin, nobly beautiful, gazing with prayerful -aspect upon an angel, whose demi-figure issues from a cloud. -Far above her head the infant Saviour, supported by a dove in a -triangular halo of dazzling splendour, descends from the skies to -become incarnate in the womb of Mary; his foot poised upon a globe, -and the cross resting in his left hand, whilst his right is raised -in benediction. The archangel with out-stretched arms indicates the -mother to the child, and the child to the mother, thus beautifully -executing his mission by an expressive sign. In front of her, but -on a lower level, so as to appear of less majestic presence, stand -the Precursor and St. Sebastian; the former points to the principal -group as the fulfilment of a cycle of prophecy which in his person -was complete; the latter is a graceful prototype of that long series -of martyrs who were destined to seal with blood their testimony to -the atonement thus initiated. One portion of this novel theme had -been anticipated by Giovanni Sanzi, in whose representation of the -same subject at the Brera, though composed after old conventional -ideas, the divine Infant is seen descending from the Almighty upon -the Virgin, instead of the dove, which usually figures as the Holy -Spirit. But such innovations were looked upon with watchful jealousy -by a Church wedded to traditional conventionalities. Doubts were -raised as to the orthodoxy of this representation of the Trinity, -and an unfortunate ruddy tint suffused over the plumage of the snowy -dove was construed into a stain on the immaculate character of the -conception, which is usually represented as coincident with the -Annunciation. The altar-piece was removed to undergo along with its -author a searching examination, which resulted in its restoration as -an object of devotion, and in his escape from the rigours of the Holy -Office. - -Two altar-pictures by Timoteo remain in the cathedral-sacristy of -his native city,[*194] besides a St. Apollonia in the church of -the Trinita. These exhibit much soft expression and devotional -feeling, combined with considerable breadth of execution; yet -they scarcely possess the simple sentiment of the earlier Umbrian -artificers, the noble character of Sanzi, or the fervour and finish -of Francia. During his residence at Urbino, he may not improbably -have influenced the young Raffaele's opening genius; but, ere long, -fame's many-tongued trumpet told him how much he had to learn of his -countryman, from whom he soon received an invitation to assist in -executing the commissions which were crowding upon him at Rome; and, -like many other gifted artists, Timoteo deemed it no degradation to -work under his younger but more matured genius. Although one of the -latest painters who retained that devotional spirit which we have -endeavoured to trace from the Umbrian sanctuaries, his manner, at an -after period of his life, changed with the influences to which he was -exposed in the atmosphere of the Vatican; and some of those works -produced under the superintendence of Raffaele which are generally -ascribed to his hand, such as the Sybils in the S. Maria della -Pace,[*195] display a very decided tendency to "the new manner." -Few paintings have given occasion to greater variety of opinion -and conjecture than this fresco, both as to the share in it which -belongs to Timoteo, and as to the source from which the conception -was derived. The theme is unquestionably referable to an authority -older than that of Michael Angelo; and it is remarkable that, instead -of the charge of plagiarism from his great rival being brought home -to Raffaele, as has been frequently asserted, the former must have -owed to Perugino, Pinturicchio, and Andrea d'Assisi the idea of -rendering the sybils of mythological fable subservient to religious -representation.[*196] By all these artists, pagan pythonesses -had been grouped with scriptural prophets, as foreshadowing the -mysterious plan of human salvation, and the fresco of the Pace must -be regarded as a felicitous adaptation of Umbrian feeling to the -tastes of such a patron as Agostino Chigi, deeply imbued with the -classic tendencies of the Roman court.[197] The repeated restorations -to which this fine work has been subjected render criticism of its -merits in a degree nugatory, but the inferiority of the Prophets to -the Sibyls is generally admitted. - -[Footnote *194: In the Cathedral sacristy is the St. Martin and St. -Thomas of 1504, with the founders beside them. In the Pinacoteca -there is a half figure of S. Sebastian, the figures of S. Roch and of -Tobias with the Angel. The S. Apollonia, once in S. Trinita is now in -the Gallery. Of these, the S. Sebastian, S. Roch, and Tobias show the -influence of Giovanni Santi, the other two the influence of Raphael.] - -[Footnote *195: Timoteo painted the Prophets above the Sibyls in S. -Maria della Pace, in Rome.] - -[Footnote *196: The Sibyl was not exclusively Pagan. Consider the -first verse of the _Dies Irae_, which ends-- - - "Teste David cum Sibylla."] - -[Footnote 197: See the learned observations of PUNGILEONE, -in the _Elogio Storico di Timoteo Vite_, pp. 23-38.] - -Vasari, after communication with our painter's family, represents -him as pining for his native air in the capital of Christendom, -where his stay cannot have been of very long duration, as we find -him in 1513 one of the magistracy of Urbino. Here he shared his time -between the sister arts of poetry, music, and painting, "delighting -to play upon various instruments, but especially the lyre, to which -he sang improviso with uncommon success." On Vasari's authority, -we are also told that he "was a cheerful person, naturally gay and -jovial, handsome, facetious in conversation, and happy in his jokes." -One of the most remarkable productions of his Raffaelesque period -is a _Noli me tangere_ (the appearance of Christ to the Magdalen -after his resurrection), in the chapel of the Artieri, at Cagli, -executed about 1518, which has been, perhaps, over-praised by Lanzi -and others: the difficulty of the subject may in some degree disarm -our criticism of its rather crowded and ungainly composition. On -the whole, the merit and beauty of the few known productions of -his pencil may well make us regret those which have disappeared, -or which pass under other names; and, although Passavant accuses -him of affectation and mannerism, the constraint apparent in some -of his earlier productions may possibly be more justly ascribed to -awkwardness. Pungileone supposes him to have returned to Rome in -1521, two years before his death, and there to have acquired a number -of the cartoons and drawings of his friend Raffaele. Of these, and -his own designs, a considerable portion passed a few years ago into -the Lawrence collection, which the vacillation and ill-timed economy -of our rulers allowed to be in a great measure dispersed. - - * * * * * - -Few artists have been the subject of more controversy than -BRAMANTE. His architectural works procured him high reputation, for he -is associated with the genius of Julius II., and the vast piles of -the Vatican: but his name and family have been disputed, as well as -the place and province which gave him birth; while his biographers, -besides confounding him with an entirely different person, Bramantino -of Milan, have aggravated the confusion by conjuring out of these -two a third artist, who exists only by their blundering. Bartolomeo -Suardi, instead of being master of Bramante, as Orlandi and others -have supposed, was a pupil who, from attachment to his instructor, -added to his own name the diminutive Bramantino. He chanced, however, -to have a scholar, Agostino, who, by also adopting that designation, -has further perplexed matters; three persons being thus almost -inextricably mixed up. For our purpose it is enough thus to supply -a key to these masters, and to observe that their relative merits -coincide with their chronology; the first being a bright light of -the golden age, the last an obscure painter of the _decadence_, who -has left us little beyond the reflected lustre of a borrowed surname. -But although the minute diligence of Lazzari and Pungileone seems to -have set this matter at rest, their tedious disquisitions supply few -important facts or useful criticisms, and a brief notice will suffice -for our present purpose. - -Donato Bramante appears to have been born at Monte Asdrualdo, near -Fermignano, in 1444, of parents in comfortable circumstances. As -his first efforts were devoted to painting, he would naturally find -instructors among the Umbrian artists already noticed; but for -his education we have no particulars, beyond a conjecture that he -studied under Fra Carnevale.[*198] At his father's death, in 1484, -he was already abroad, probably in Lombardy, where most of his -pictorial works were produced, and where some frescoes may still be -seen, meriting no ordinary meed of approbation, and particularly -distinguished by fidelity in portraits and accuracy of architectural -perspective; qualities learned, doubtless, from the productions of -Melozzo da Forli and Piero della Francesca. Of these mural paintings, -the most interesting remains in the church of the Canepa, at Pavia, -and exhibits the artist presenting a model for that building to its -founder, Duke Gian Galeazzo Sforza, his Duchess, and his mother. -Rosini ascribes to him freedom of design, ease in movement and -draperies, grand conceptions, and much ability in perspective. -Indeed, whilst the colder genius of ultramontane nations has seldom -occupied itself with more than one branch of art, many Italian -masters attained to excellence in several; and Bramante's reputation -as an architect being established, his engineering talents were -called into exercise by Ludovico il Moro, upon the fortifications -of Milan. There too he built several churches, and constructed as -a sacristy for S. Satiro, one of those small round Grecian fanes -which have been considered so peculiarly his own, that various -churches of that type are ascribed to him on no better grounds than -their form. The conception is, however, of earlier origin, for it -appears in not a few miniatures and small devotional panels of the -preceding century. He had adopted it in a little chapel of the -Madonna di Riscatto, on the banks of the Metauro, opposite Castel -Durante, said to have been his earliest work, and the idea was freely -used by Perugino and his pupils, Raffaele included. It takes the -form of a round building cased by Corinthian pilasters, in an easel -picture preserved at Urbino, in the sacristy of Sta. Chiara, which -is interesting as an architectural study, and has been attributed to -Bramante, or to Giorgio Andreoli, the porcelain enameller of Gubbio. -A symmetrically elegant Doric chapel, at S. Pietro in Montorio -at Rome, is the chef-d'oeuvre of this classic style, and it was -reproduced by della Genga in scenic decorations prepared at Urbino -for the representation of Bibbiena's _Calandra_. - -[Footnote *198: He was probably the pupil of Luciano da Laurana and -Piero della Francesca.] - -As the flower of Bramante's life went by during his long stay -in Upper Italy, it is there that his pictorial talents must be -appreciated, and that his most numerous, if not his most famous -fabrics, may be found. But when Lombardy became the battle-field -of Italian independence, when art was there neglected and personal -safety compromised, he bethought him of the monuments of antique -genius still scattered over the capital of her classic times, and -came to Rome in quest of improvement as well as employment. The -moment was not propitious, for Alexander VI. was no Maecenas. Yet in -the public works, both of fresco-painting and architecture, Donato -had a share; and he supplied designs for several private churches -and palaces, varying the scene of his labours by prolonged visits to -Naples and Tivoli. - -On the accession of Julius II. his star rapidly rose to the zenith -of his reputation. His Urbino extraction was a recommendation to -the new Pontiff, which his talents fully justified, while the vast -conceptions and daring energy of his Holiness found in Bramante a -willing and apt minister. To raise a temple wherein the Christian -world might worship the living God, was a project worthy of their -united genius, and it was entertained in a manner befitting the -enterprise. There, grandeur of design was seconded by resolute -purpose; nor were means and will deficient for levying from the piety -or fears of mankind contributions apparently inexhaustible. But in -a struggle with time, man is seldom victorious. The shadows of age, -falling upon the Pontiff and his architect, warned them that their -day was far spent. Anticipating the night that approached to arrest -their labours, they worked with a zeal which knew no repose, but -which proved fatal to the stability of their fabric. Death overtook -them both ere any part of St. Peter's approached to completion, yet -not before the too hurried masonry had begun to yield under its own -weight. The inadequate foundations occasioned much supplementary -trouble and outlay to those who conducted the edifice towards a -conclusion, which it did not reach until 1626, a hundred and twenty -years after it had been begun by Bramante. - -By some who witnessed the rapid and indiscriminate destruction -of old St. Peter's,--that ancient basilicon, which early art had -done its best to decorate, which Christian devotion had sanctified -by cherished traditions, and over which time had cast a solemn -halo,--Bramante has been blamed as a reckless innovator; and the -charge meets a ready response from those who, in their search for -primeval monuments of Catholic faith, pass from the glare and -magnificence of the modern fane to mourn over broken sculptures and -shattered mosaics buried in its rayless crypt. It would be easy to -defend the architect at the expense of his master; but upon looking -more closely into the charge, we shall find that the original fabric -having become ruinous, its reconstruction was begun half a century -before the accession of Julius, and that its last remains were -not removed until a hundred years later. Thus it would seem that -the demolition of so much that is ill replaced to the churchman -and scholar of art, even by the gorgeous temple which commands -our wondering admiration, must have proceeded from other reasons -than haste. The slippery foundations that from time to time have -occasioned infinite anxiety and expense, both for the church and -adjoining buildings, were doubtless the original cause which lost us -the basilicon of Constantine. - -But Julius was not the man to devote himself exclusively to one idea, -even though a favourite one. Wishing to provide a palace for his -successors worthy of the neighbouring fane which he had founded, he -put the Vatican into Donato's hands. That pontifical residence, after -being enlarged by Nicolas V. and Sixtus IV. was in a great measure -reconstructed by Alexander VI., whose predecessor, Innocent VIII., -had erected a casino in the adjoining gardens of the Belvidere. -In order to unite this casino to the palace, Bramante contrived a -double corridor, the vast intervening area of which he designed for -festive spectacles. This fine idea, left by him unfinished, was -marred by succeeding architects, who broke up the extensive court by -cross galleries and unseemly appendages. We may, however, pardon the -transmutation, as it has afforded admirable accommodation for the -treasures of art, ever since accumulating in these almost boundless -museums. In that handsome street to which Julius bequeathed his name, -there may be seen near the church of S. Biagio, straggling vestiges -of vast substructions, with rustic basements resembling the gigantic -masses of fabulous ages, on which have been reared some mean and -modern dwellings. These are the sole remains of a vast undertaking, -nobly conceived by the Pontiff, and ably commenced by his architect, -in order to unite under one palace the scattered law-courts and -public offices of Rome. But it was Bramante's misfortune to serve a -restless spirit, which attempting more than the span of human life -could overtake, left its finest conceptions abortive. - -The merits of Bramante were appreciated by his contemporaries as well -as by posterity, and gained him a substantial meed of honour and -wealth. At the pontifical court he moved in a circle where refinement -perfected the emanations of genius, and which included the choicest -spirits of a brilliant age. Enriched by papal favour, magnificent in -his expenditure, frank and joyous in his nature, he lived up to the -advantages of his position, and made his palace the resort of many -celebrities: there his Umbrian countrymen, Perugino, Pinturicchio, -and Luca Signorelli, frequented his board; and after his death the -house was bought by his friend Raffaele. He was a poet, for in Italy -all sentiment readily falls into rhyme; but he was likewise a man -of the world, whose natural tact and ready fluency compensated for -a defective education. Dying in March, 1514, he was buried beneath -that splendid fane which he had founded, but which many successive -architects failed to raise. No monument testifies the gratitude of -his countrymen, yet his name is entwined with garlands of undying -verdure, and some of the noblest Italian piles bear the impress of -his solid and enduring style. - - * * * * * - -FRA BERNARDO CATELANI was a Capuchin monk of Urbino, whose -devotion sought scope in the exercise of Christian art, and who is -generally considered a follower of Raffaele, although this is doubted -by Grossi. Nor does it much matter, for the only work now identified -with his name is an altar-piece of the Pieta with two attendant -saints, in the church of his order at Cagli. Still less is known -of one CROCCHIA of Urbino, named by Baldinucci as a pupil -of Raffaele. His countryman, Centogatti, is said to have exercised -the arts of architecture, sculpture, and painting, and to have -instructed Duke Francesco Maria I., and also Gian Battista Comandino, -in engineering. To him Lomazzo ascribes the invention of _baluardi_, -and the erection of walls round his native town; but in both respects -he appears mistaken, as we have had occasion to show in speaking of -Francesco di Giorgio.[199] - -[Footnote 199: See p. 214 above. In an old MS. chronicle I -find, besides most of the names here enumerated, the following -now-forgotten painters of Urbino, at the close of the fifteenth -century:--Bartolomeo di Maestro Gentile, Bernardino di Pierantonio, -Ricci Manara, Francesco di Mercatello, and in 1528 Ottaviano della -Prassede.] - - * * * * * - -The patronage extended to Francia by Duke Guidobaldo seems, from -Vasari's authority, to have been of a very undiscriminating -character, for his commissions to that painter of sweet Madonnas -consisted of a Lucrezia, and a set of horse-trappings, whereon was -depicted a blazing forest, with various animals escaping from it. -Gaye has recovered some facts as to the favour bestowed by this -dynasty upon Andrea Mantegna. In 1511, Duchess Elisabetta wrote -to interest her brother, the Marquis of Mantua, in favour of his -son Francesco, expressing herself as mindful of the regard she had -borne his father, on account both of his own merits and his devotion -to her family. Andrea's acquaintance with Giovanni Sanzi, already -referred to, may have been formed on his journey to Rome in 1488, -or on his return thence in 1490; but his fame had ere then reached -Umbria, for in 1484 Ludovico Gonzaga, bishop of Mantua, wrote to the -Prefect della Rovere, pleading his excuse for declining an order for -a Madonna, his time being engrossed in the palace of Mantua. Vasari -further tells us that Marco Zoppo, another Lombard painter, took a -portrait of Guidobaldo when in the Florentine service. To his reign -probably belongs a very grand specimen of Giovanni Bellini in the -church of S. Francesco at Pesaro. We have already noticed him as a -pupil of Gentile di Fabriano; and his visit to the duchy may have -enabled him to confirm his early devotional impressions, by there -depicting that favourite theme of the mystic school, the Coronation -of the Madonna, surrounded by witnessing saints. The countenances, -though without the unearthly inspiration belonging to the Umbrian -art, have great beauty softened by reverential sentiment, and a -colour which glows even through the dirt of centuries. In the Sta. -Maria Nuova of Fano are preserved two of Perugino's finest works, -the Annunciation, and the Madonna enthroned between six saints, -exhibiting all the qualities of his best time, with less timidity -than belongs to his manner. The latter was executed in 1490, and -the predella had been considered equal to Raffaele, who of course -was then too young for such an undertaking. Such are some of the -remaining pictures which must have influenced taste and art in -the duchy. The catalogue is far from complete, for in the obscure -villages may still be discovered altar-panels of scarcely inferior -importance, besides not a few transported thence to Milan, Berlin, -and other galleries. - -We owe to Lord Lindsay some very interesting views on the influence -of early Teutonic art beyond the Alps, a subject long overlooked -and still far from exhausted.[200] Among its masters no celebrity -equals that of Jean Van Eyck. He was not only _capo-scuola_ in the -Low Countries and inventor of a new method and vehicle of painting, -but was the first to introduce that "feeling for nature and domestic -sentiment" which, subordinate at the outset to religious delineation, -has continued, through many phases, and for the most part with -strictly naturalist aims, to characterise the Flemish pencil. The -fame of his mechanism spread into Italy, and Vasari speaks of a -bath scene being sent by him to Duke Federigo of Urbino. This was, -however, probably the same work described as belonging to Cardinal -Ottaviani by Facio, who wrote about 1456. In a room lighted by a -single lamp, a group of nude females issued from the bath, an aged -beldame, their attendant, bathed in perspiration, their thirsty dog -lapping water. A mirror accurately gave back the scene, reflecting -the profile of the one whose figure was turned from the spectator. -Without, was elaborate and far-spreading scenery, with men, horses, -castles, hamlets, groves, plains, and mountains, dexterously -graduating away as the evening shadows fell. Keeping in view the -state of art at that time, this painting, of which all further trace -mysteriously vanishes, must have exercised an important influence. -The borrowed illumination, the mirror reflections, the nude forms, -the heated atmosphere detected by its physical effects on animal -life, the minutely pencilled landscape, the delicately receding -perspective, were all more or less innovations in Italy, apart from -the colour and surface produced by the new process. - -[Footnote 200: _Sketches of the History of Christian Art_, Letter -VIII., especially part II., Secs. 1, 2, 4, and part III., Sec. 6.] - -Among the followers of Van Eyck who first made their way to the -Mediterranean shores was JOSSE or JUSTUS OF GHENT, who, under the -signature of Justus de Alemania, appears to have executed an -Annunciation in fresco, at the convent of Sta. Maria di Castello -at Genoa in 1451.[*201] Admiration for Van Eyck's bath scene may -probably have obtained for him an invitation to Urbino, where, -however, he does not seem to have shared the ducal patronage, but -was employed by the fraternity of Corpus Christi to paint for them -an altar-piece, which, after nine years of labour, was completed in -1474, and is still preserved in the church of Sta. Agata.[*202] It -was executed in oil, about ten feet square without the now missing -predella, and seems to have cost 500 florins, besides materials. -Its subject was appropriately the Institution of the Eucharist, in -contradistinction from the Last Supper, and it is treated after -the manner of the Romish mass,--Christ distributes the sacramental -wafer to his Apostles kneeling round a table, over whom hover two -white-draped angels of the Van Eyck type. Four personages stand -apart, spectators of the sacred mystery, and these, by the legitimate -rules of sacred art, might be portraits. Among them may be easily -recognised the Duke; and a turbaned figure is said by Baldi to be the -ambassador from Usum-cassan, King of Persia, while visiting the court -in 1470-1, on a mission to unite the Italian princes in a league -against the Turk,--a fact garbled by Michiels, whose commendations -of the picture are greater than its distance above the eye allows me -to confirm or challenge, as, without scaffolding or a very strong -glass, all detailed criticism must be in a great measure conjectural. -Neither have I discovered that influence upon art at Urbino which he -and Passavant impute to this Fleming, whose only other known work in -Umbria was a now lost church standard. - -[Footnote *201: But Justus de Alemania, who painted at Genoa, and -Justus of Ghent, are different persons.] - -[Footnote *202: Now in the Pinacoteca.] - - * * * * * - -Art has in many instances been able largely to compensate the -liberality of its early patrons. Besides preserving to after times -the person of those - - "Whose barks have left no traces on the tide," - -it has frequently transmitted to us the form and comeliness of -men whose characters, actions, or talents have left an impress -on their age. Although the pencil and the chisel were at first -rarely dedicated to portraiture, a mode of representation arose in -Italy during the fifteenth century which supplied this want with -singular success. Reviving classical taste found few more attractive -relics than the coins and medals of Greece and her colonies; but -their imitators, struck with the inferiority of those under the -Roman empire, adopted, and even surpassed, the bold style and -high relief of the former. When almost every principality in the -Peninsula possessed a mint, and die-cutting was a usual branch of -the goldsmith's craft, there were great facilities for the new -art. The circulation of precious metals being very limited, trade -was then conducted chiefly by barter, or by the transmission of -coin in sealed bags, stamped with the value they contained, whilst -small transactions were made almost solely in copper money.[203] -Heroic medals, which soon became the established meed of egotism -and incense of flattery, were at first cast,--and, when machinery -became more perfect, were struck,--in an alloy of copper, under the -name of bronze. Those of the fifteenth century were of great size, -varying from one to four and a half inches in diameter; many bear -the names of well-known sculptors and painters as their artists, -and exhibit a grandeur of conception unequalled in other numismatic -productions.[*204] About three hundred and seventy-five such medals -have been published in the Tresor de Numismatique et de Glyptique, -and although the _procede Collas_ there adopted in general fails -to preserve the sharpness and finish given to the originals by -careful retouching, no work of art is so delightful a companion -to Italian mediaeval history. Zannetti's elaborate collections on -Italian coinages, and the fifth volume of Cicognara's great work upon -sculpture, may also be consulted with pleasure and advantage. - -[Footnote 203: The coinage of Duke Federigo consisted of Bolognini -and Piccioli. The former were small thin silver pieces, weighing -19-1/2 grains, of which 3-1/2 were copper alloy, and forty of them -made a florin. The florin, a nominal coin, thus contained 634-34/59 -grains of pure silver, and 146-1/2 grains of copper; and supposing -pure silver worth, as now, 5s. 6d. an ounce, it would be worth 7s. -3-1/4d. sterling, making a bolognini 7-1/3 farthings. The piccioli -(3-3/5 to a farthing) were about the size of bolognini (52 or 56 to -the ounce); but were of copper alloyed with about three per cent. of -silver. All this Duke's coinage seems to have been minted at Gubbio, -and it is described at great length by Reposati, in his _Zecca di -Gubbio_. See p. 41 above, and Author's Preface.] - -[Footnote *204: See on this subject the most excellent book by -G.F. HILL, _Pisanello_ (London, 1905); a good bibliography -is there given.] - -The only medallist of Urbino now known was called Clemente, and, -besides the portrait by him to be immediately noticed (No. I.), he is -said to have ornamented the great hall of the palace with six round -bas-reliefs of Duke Federigo's exploits. Seven medals of that prince -have come to my knowledge, all of extreme rarity: the first five are -described and engraved in the _Zecca di Gubbio_; the first, second, -and fourth in the Tresor de Numismatique; the sixth is probably -unnoticed elsewhere. The heads of all are in profile. - -No. I. A medallion of 3-5/8 inches diameter. The Duke's bust is in -armour, on which are chased a Lapitha reducing a Centaur, and other -emblematic devices; his cap, called by the French a _mortier_, is -of the usual cinque-cento form, exactly resembling a round Highland -bonnet. The legend is a Latin couplet, signifying, - - "HE COMES, ANOTHER CAESAR AND ANOTHER ROMAN SCIPIO, - WHETHER HE GIVES TO THE NATIONS PEACE OR FIERCE WARS." - -The reverse is redundant in allegory. In base, the eagle of Jove -supports with extended wings a stage whereon are three devices,--the -globe of command, with on one side a cuirass, buckler, and sword, -and on the other a clothes-brush[205] and olive-branch; overhead are -the planetary signs of Jupiter between Mars and Venus. On the vacant -spaces are the names of the hero, "FEDERIGO THE INVINCIBLE, COUNT -OF URBINO, A.D. MCCCCLXVIII.," and of the artist, "THE WORK -OF CLEMENTE OF URBINO." The surrounding astrological legend runs -thus:-- - - "THE FIERCE MARS AND VENUS, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE MIGHTY THUNDERER, - UNITE TO GIVE YOU KINGDOMS, AND INFLUENCE YOUR DESTINY." - -[Footnote 205: Riposati mistakes this for a metal weight. The French -work does not venture on any conjecture as to the object represented.] - -The date indicates this medal to have commemorated his campaign -in Romagna against Colleone, in 1467, and notwithstanding the -questionable taste of crowding in so many symbolical appendages, its -merit is ranked high by Cicognara (see his eighty-sixth plate). - -No. II. A medal 1-6/8 inches across, which was probably cast at -Naples in 1474, by order of Ferdinand, in honour of Federigo's visit -and installation as a knight of the Ermine. Being no doubt prepared -before his arrival, the likeness is not striking. Round the bust is -"FEDERICO COUNT OF MONTEFELTRO, URBINO, AND DURANTE"; on the -reverse, over a collared ermine, "ROYAL CAPTAIN-GENERAL. THE WORK -OF PAULO DI RAGUSA." - -No. III. A similar but smaller medal, executed after he had been -elevated to the dukedom. His head is bald, and the legend is -"FEDERIGO THE MONTEFELTRIAN, URBINO'S DUKE;" over the ermine, "NEVER," -the motto of the Order. - -No. IV. A medal 3-3/8 inches across, commemorating his dignities -of Duke and Gonfaloniere of the Church. Round his bust in armour, -with the mortier cap, we read, "OF THE DIVINE FEDERIGO DUKE OF -URBINO, COUNT OF MONTEFELTRO AND DURANTE, ROYAL CAPTAIN-GENERAL, -AND UNCONQUERED GONFALONIERE OF THE HOLY ROMAN CHURCH." On the -reverse he is represented in a cuirass, mail-coat, jack-boots, and -the mortier cap, mounted on a heavy war-horse in housings of mail. -He moves forward, stretching forth his truncheon in the attitude of -anxious command, a two-handed sword on his side. Legend, "THE -WORK OF SPERANDEI," who was a native of Mantua, greatly -patronised by the sovereigns of Ferrara. - -No. V. is a magnificent production, and of peculiarly English -interest. On a medal 4-3/4 inches across, clasped round by the badge -and gothic motto of the Garter, is a noble bust of Federigo in -armour, his massive bald head uncovered. The reverse has five winged -loves supporting an ample basin, from whence issue two grape-laden -cornucopiae; between them the crowned eagle of Montefeltro sits on -a globe of command, gazing sunward, and supporting the armorial -shield of that house, with the papal arms in pale as borne by the -Gonfaloniere: the contracted inscription "DUKE FE." appears -on the ground. Riposati conjectures that in this device may be -preserved the design of a fountain for serving wine to the populace -during the festivities on his investiture with the English order; -at all events, this piece, in size and style, perhaps the grandest -medallion of the age, bears interesting testimony to the honour in -which that decoration was held. - -No. VI. Among the Vatican Urbino MSS. (No. 1418) is a case containing -two impressions, stamped on leather, of another medallion, which we -have nowhere else met with. It is 3-1/2 inches in diameter, and round -the head is "FEDERIGO DUKE OF URBINO, COUNT OF MONTEFELTRO, ROYAL -CAPTAIN-GENERAL AND GONFALONIERE OF THE HOLY ROMAN CHURCH." -The reverse gives us a mounted knight cap-a-pie, who tramples down -an armed soldier, while charging others who fly; in the distance -are seen cities, and a martial host. Legend, "MARS GIVES HIM A -WORSTED FOE, VICTORY SECURES HIM FAME. MCCCCLXXVIII. THE WORK OF GIAN -FRANCESCO, OF PARMA." This alludes to his successes against the -Florentines when general of Sixtus IV. - -No. VII. A medal of Federigo by Francesco di Giorgio, has neither -been described nor preserved, unless it may have been No. V. above. - -We have no medal of Duke Guidobaldo I.; but two have come down to us, -representing his consort and her favourite Emilia Pia, so similar in -character as to indicate probably the same artist and period, which -Riposati presumes to have been in the Duchess's widowhood. - -I. Elisabetta's bust on a medallion 3-1/2 inches in diameter; her -hair braided under her cap, and gathered behind into a long pendant -tail or fillet plaited with ribbon; her forehead, neck, and -shoulders ornamented with chains; legend, "ELISABET GONZAGA, THE -FELTRIAN, DUCHESS OF URBINO": which we give. The mystic science -of emblematic devices was often used by medallists without proper -discrimination; and Riposati avows himself unable to interpret its -allegorical reverse: the French editor describes it as a nearly nude -female reclining on the ground, her head supported against a wicket, -grasping in both hands a fillet from which a wig flies away, with the -motto, "THIS TELL TO FUGITIVE FORTUNE"; he interprets her -attitude as contemptuous towards a passing opportunity, in allusion -to her recent widowhood spurning fresh ties. - -II. The medal of Emilia was evidently a posthumous memorial; we -reproduce it also. It is 3-1/4 inches broad, the bust in the costume -of the Duchess, and is inscribed "EMILIA PIA THE FELTRIAN": -on the reverse, a tapered pyramid crowned by a cinerary urn, with -"TO HER CHASTE ASHES." The whole is studiously classical, -and pagan in feeling. Her name Pio, turned into the adjective _pia_, -becomes a complimentary epithet. - -In order to dismiss this branch of our subject, we may here mention, -that, although a few smaller medals were struck for the second -dynasty of Urbino, none of them are worthy of special notice; indeed, -this art was entirely degenerate after 1500. - - - - -BOOK FIFTH - -OF THE DELLA ROVERE FAMILY - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI - - Birth and elevation of Sixtus IV.--Genealogy of the - Della Rovere family--Nepotism of that pontiff--His - improvements in Rome--His patronage of letters and - arts--His brother Giovanni becomes Lord of Sinigaglia - and Prefect of Rome--His beneficent sway--He pillages a - papal envoy--Remarkable story of Zizim or Gem--Portrait of - Giovanni--The early character and difficulties of Julius - II.--Estimate of his pontificate. - - -On the 21st of July, 1414, in the village of Celle, upon the Ligurian -coast, near Savona, there was born to Leonardo della Rovere and -Luchina Muglione, a male child, who, fifty-seven years thereafter, -was called to fill the chair of St. Peter, from whence he showered -upon his numerous relations temporal and ecclesiastical dignities. -That Pontiff was Sixtus IV.; of these relatives many have already -found a place in our pages; and from their stock sprang the second -ducal dynasty of Urbino. - -Upon the origin of this family a mystery has been thrown, by writers -devoted to adulation rather than to truth. There was established -near Turin a race of della Rovere, lords of Vinovo, whose nobility -is traced from the eighth century, and from whom it was the pride of -Sixtus to claim a descent, which his flatterers readily humoured, -and which the annalists of Urbino adopted as an article of their -political creed. Posterity has repudiated the allegation, for "in -Italy, at least, it is vain for heraldry to tell a tale that history -will not substantiate."[206] The seigneurs of Vinovo were not, -however, loath to admit a blood connection with two Popes, who, in -return for such aggregation to the old stock, conferred cardinals' -hats upon their cousins of Piedmont. Although the tombstone of -Leonardo was said to exhibit the Vinovo bearings, with a suitable -difference, his humble birth is universally admitted. The burgess -of Savona plied a fisher's trade, and even his son is supposed to -have followed in boyhood the same apostolical calling; an occupation -singular rather than inappropriate, for one destined to wear "the -fisher's ring," and to wield the authority of him who was divinely -called to be a netter of men. The superstition or policy of Sixtus -stamped with unmerited importance certain quasi-supernatural -incidents attending his birth. Whilst pregnant, his mother dreamt -that a boy was born to her, whom two Franciscan friars forthwith clad -in the tunic, cowl, and cord of their order. The name Francesco was -accordingly bestowed on the child, whose gestures seemed to confirm -its sacred vocation, the first motions of its little hands being -those of benediction. Whilst undergoing the usual ablutions, the -infant appeared faint and dying, whereupon its mother vowed that, if -preserved to her, it should wear the Franciscan dress for the next -six months. The removal of this habit having on two occasions been -followed by dangerous illness, the boy's destination to a monastic -life was confirmed, and his training conducted accordingly.[*207] - -[Footnote 206: MARIOTTI'S _Italy_.] - -[Footnote *207: For birth of Sixtus IV., cf. CREIGHTON, _op. -cit._, vol. IV., p. 65, and authorities there quoted. "His father was -a poor peasant in a little village near Savona, and at the age of -nine Francesco was handed over to the Franciscans to be educated. He -acted for a time as tutor with the family of Rovere, in Piedmont, and -from them he took the name by which he was afterwards known."] - -After rapid progress in classical and dialectic studies, he went -to the university of Bologna, and in his twentieth year maintained -various public disputations before a general chapter of his order -at Genoa, with erudition and success which astonished his audience, -and gained him the marked commendation of his superiors. He then -graduated in philosophy and theology at Pavia, and in his public -displays distinguished himself by a simple and perspicuous style -of argument comparatively exempt from the jingle of words that -usually characterised these exercises. His celebrity extending in -all directions, he was engaged by the authorities of many large -towns to deliver lectures, which were attended by the most learned -ecclesiastics, his preaching being not less acceptable to the -people of all ranks. His friendship and counsel were sought by the -distinguished men of his time, including Cardinal Bessarion; and -he employed his pen in various religious controversies, especially -in one, carried by other disputants to blows, between two branches -of Franciscans, the Minims and Predicant Friars, as to "whether -the blood of Christ shed in his passion partook of his divinity." -Having attained the rank of General, he proved most zealous in -the inspection and reform of the convents under his jurisdiction, -personally visiting them in all quarters. At length, in 1467, he was -made Cardinal by Paul II., whom he was chosen to succeed on the 9th -of August, 1471. - -We have had occasion, in a previous portion of this work, to notice -the policy of Sixtus as it affected the duchy of Urbino, and it -forms no part of our plan to enter further into the events of his -pontificate. Neither need we detail those in that of his nephew -Julius II., except in so far as they fall to be narrated in our -Third and Sixth Books. Our present purpose is to offer a condensed -view of the della Rovere family, preceding its establishment in the -sovereignty of Urbino, and to enliven what would otherwise be a dry -genealogical sketch, by a few passing observations on the character -of its two Pontiffs, and on the influence of their reigns. - -The children of Ludovico Leonardo della Rovere by Luchina Stella -Muglione were these:-- - -1. FRANCESCO, afterwards Sixtus IV. - -2. RAFFAELE, whose line will presently occupy our attention. - -3. A sister, whose husband Giovanni Basso and children were adopted -into the family of della Rovere and bore that name. They were:-- - - 1. GIROLAMO of Recanate, made Cardinal of S. - Chrisogono in 1477, and died in 1507. - - 2. ANTONIO, who married in 1479 Caterina Marciana, - niece of Ferdinand of Naples, and died soon after. - - 3. GUGLIELMO, who died in 1482. - - 4. FRANCESCO, Prior of Pisa. - - 5. BARTOLOMEO.[208] - -4. IOLANDA, who married Girolamo Riario, and, dying in 1471, -left:-- - - 1. CARDINAL PIETRO RIARIO, the favourite of his - Uncle Sixtus IV., who died in 1474. - - 2. GIROLAMO, Lord of Forli, and, in right of his - wife, Caterina Sforza, sovereign of Imola, whose name is - familiar to those who have followed our narrative, and - who was assassinated in 1488. Among their children were - Ottaviano, dispossessed of his states by Cesare Borgia - in 1500; Orazio, Bishop of Lucca; Galeazzo; and Cesare, - Patriarch of Constantinople. Their line still subsists - in the Riario Sforza of Naples, one of whom was in 1846 - Cardinal Camerlingo at Rome. - - 3. OTTAVIANO, Bishop of Viterbo. - - 4. A daughter, married to one Sansonio, whose son Raffaele, - made Cardinal of S. Giorgio in 1477, has been mentioned as - an accomplice in the Pazzi conspiracy. - -[Footnote 208: Most of these were buried in the church of Sta. Maria -del Popolo, at Rome, where their funeral inscriptions may be found.] - -RAFFAELE DELLA ROVERE, younger brother of Sixtus, had, by -Teodora Manerola-- - -1. BARTOLOMEO, Bishop of Ferrara and Patriarch of Antioch. - -2. GIULIANO, who became Pope Julius II., and whose natural children -were-- - - 1. RAFFAELE, who married Niccolosa Fogliano of - Fermo, and was murdered in 1502. - - 2. FELICE, famed for her beauty and talents, who - married Gian-Giordano Orsini, not Marc Antonio Colonna, as - stated by Roscoe. - -3. LEONARDO, created Prefect of Rome in 1472. He died 1475, -leaving no issue by Giovanna, natural daughter of Ferdinand King of -Naples. According to Giannone, she was Catarina, daughter of the -Prince of Rossano, by Dionora, sister of Ferdinand, and she brought -him the duchy of Sora, which descended to his heirs. - -4. GIOVANNI, Duke of Sora, Prefect of Rome, and Seigneur of -Sinigaglia, to whom we shall return. - -5. LUCHINA, whose children were adopted as of the della -Rovere name. By her first husband Gabriele Gara, a gentleman of -Savona, she had-- - - 1. RAFFAELE. - - 2. SISTO, Cardinal of S. Pietro in Vinculis, who - died in 1517, aged forty-four. His death is said to have - been occasioned by terror for the menaces of Leo X., who - suspected him of aiding his cousin the Duke of Urbino - in recovering his state, by advancing money out of vast - benefices, estimated at 30,000 to 40,000 ducats a year. - De Grasses describes his frame as exhausted by shameless - debaucheries, and adds, that he could neither read nor - write. The latter assertion is so incredible as to throw - doubt upon the former; yet such an accusation in the diary - of a papal master of ceremonies seems to infer that similar - immoralities were then scarcely regarded as scandalous in - the sacred college. The taint left by Alexander VI. had not - yet been effaced by blood and tears in the sack of Rome. - - 3. SISTA, whose first husband, Geraud d'Ancezun, - died in 1503, after which she married Galeazzo, son of - Count Girolamo Riario. - - By her second husband, Gian-Francesco Franciotti Lucca, - a merchant in Rome, who was her junior by eleven years, - Luchina had-- - - 4. GALEOTTO, Cardinal of S. Pietro in Vinculis, - and Archbishop of Benevento, who died in 1508, aged - twenty-eight. In 1505 he was appointed to the Cancelleria, - and his public revenues, amounting to 40,000 ducats a year, - were liberally administered in the patronage of letters. - - 5. NICOLO, who left a son Giulio. - - 6. LUCREZIA, wife of Marc Antonio Colonna, who - fell at the siege of Milan, in 1522.[209] - -[Footnote 209: Cristoforo and Domenico della Rovere, brothers, and -successively cardinals of San Vitale, were of the Vinovo family. -The former has a tomb in the Church del Popolo, the latter was -distinguished for his intelligent patronage of art. I have failed -to affiliate Clemente, Bishop of Mende, surnamed _il Grasso_, made -cardinal 1503, and died next year; and Stefano, who was nephew of -Julius II., and had a son, Gian Francesco, Archbishop of Turin, who -died in 1517.] - -GIOVANNI DELLA ROVERE, Prefect of Rome and Seigneur of -Sinigaglia, died in 1501, having married in 1474 Giovanna di -Montefeltro, who, dying in 1514, had issue-- - -1. FEDERIGO, who died young. - -2. FRANCESCO MARIA, who, as Duke of Urbino, will occupy attention in -our next Book. - -3. MARIA, married in 1497 to Venanzio Varana, Lord of Camerino, who -was slain in 1503, with three of his sons, by order of Cesare Borgia. -Another son, Sigismondo, shared the campaigns of his maternal uncle -the Duke of Urbino, and failing to recover his patrimonial state from -the usurpation of his uncle Giulio Cesare Varana, was assassinated -at his instigation in 1522: his wife was Ottavia, daughter of Giulio -Colonna. A scandalous intrigue of Maria in her widowhood will be -mentioned in the life of her brother,[210] but it did not prevent her -finding a second husband in Galeazzo, son of Girolamo Riario, Lord of -Forli. - -4. COSTANZA, who died unmarried at Rome in November, 1507. - -5. DEODATA, a nun of Sta. Chiara at Urbino. - -[Footnote 210: See below, ch. xxxii.] - -On the accession of Sixtus, the papal treasury was supposed to be -full of money and jewels, which it had been the passion of Paul -II. to accumulate. Yet he declared that but 5000 crowns were found -in bullion, and the few precious stones that were forthcoming -appeared not to have been paid for. Notwithstanding this seeming -disappointment, which was very generally discredited, and the outlay -of 20,000 crowns for the funeral of Paul, and for his own coronation, -he discharged the debts of several antecedent pontiffs, and -particularly those due by Paul for St. Mark's palace. But these heavy -expenses, with the alleged simony attending his election, and the -enormous sums lavished by his nephews, gave colour to an allegation -that he had seized and misapplied large hoardings of his predecessor. -The favour bestowed by him upon his nephews was excessive, even in -days when nepotism was at its height, and his fondness for the two -Riarii originated suspicions casting a dark shadow upon his moral -character; while gossip, with its usual inconsistency, lent currency -to the surmise that they owed to him their paternity as well as -the advancement of their fortunes.[211] One of his early acts was -to confer upon Pietro, the elder of them, and upon Giuliano della -Rovere, cardinal's hats on the same day. These cousins were, however, -of very opposite habits, and so long as Pietro lived, Giuliano's -influence with his uncle was small. The former, known as Cardinal of -S. Sisto, - - "Whom the wild wave of pleasure ever drove - Before the sprightly tempest, tossing light," - -was magnificent beyond example, lavish in his tastes for silver and -gold stuffs, splendid dresses, spirited horses. He was surrounded -by troops of retainers, and filled his house with rising poets and -celebrated painters. He was munificent to the learned, generous to -the poor, and frequently celebrated public banquets and games at -prodigious expense. Though he lived but two years and a half after -his elevation to the purple, he had in that brief space completed a -rarely equalled career of civil and ecclesiastical preferment, of -public extravagance, and personal debauchery. Taddeo Manfredi, Lord -of Imola, having been expelled by domestic intrigues, was bribed by -the Cardinal with 40,000 crowns to assign that fief to his brother -Girolamo Riario, an arrangement sanctioned willingly by Sixtus, -reluctantly by the consistory. After making a progress to Lombardy -and Venice as papal legate, with a pomp unequalled even in an age -of splendour, Pietro returned to Rome, and died in January 1474, of -fever aggravated by previous excesses. Panvinio says he seemed born -to waste money, and estimates his expenditure whilst cardinal at the -enormous sum of 270,000 golden scudi.[212] - -[Footnote 211: Muratori has not scrupled to adopt this opinion, for -which I can discover no adequate ground, and which is inconsistent -with the accepted genealogy of the Riarii.] - -[Footnote 212: The sumptuous and lavish festivities of the age, and -the extent to which art was combined with classical associations in -public displays, may be estimated from Corio's elaborate description -of the reception at Rome, in 1473, of Duchess Leonora of Ferrara, -with her suite, including 60,000 horses. *Cf. _Annalisti di Tisi_, -quoted by CORVISIERI, q.v. in _Archivio Romano_, vol. I.; -_Il Trionfo Romano di Eleanora d'Aragona_. CREIGHTON, _op. -cit._, vol. IV., pp. 75-77, gives a splendid sketch of his life.] - -The wars into which the Pontiff recklessly plunged, from rage -against the Medici and anxiety to consolidate a sovereignty for -Count Girolamo, occasioned vast expense, and the deficiency of his -exchequer led him to adopt expedients of an eventually dangerous -tendency. Panvinio asserts for him a disreputable priority in the -creation of places and offices, in order to raise a revenue by their -sale. The simony thus systematised tended at once to taint the -morals and degrade the reputation of the Roman court. Under Borgia's -pontificate we have seen it carried to a frightful height, and -attended by scandals the most heinous; in that of Leo X. it became a -mainspring of the Reformation. - -Yet it was not by wars alone that the papal treasury was embarrassed, -nor were the bounties of Sixtus limited to claims of nepotism, for -he reaped from many the praises due to a liberality large rather -than discriminating. The whirlwind of Turkish invasion had lately -swept over the ruins of the Eastern Empire, and for the Christian -princes who fled before it, abandoning their states to seek a -precarious hospitality, Rome formed the natural refuge. Thither -came the expelled despots of Albania and the Morea, the crownless -queens of Cyprus and Bosnia, all of whom received from the Pontiff -a welcome and honourable entertainment due to their misfortunes and -to their virtual martyrdom. To such European princes as visited -the Eternal City, in performance of their religious duties, he -accorded a splendid reception. But there were other outlays still -more creditable to him, as adorning the city and ameliorating the -condition of its inhabitants. He was the first pope who earnestly -set about rescuing from degradation the monuments of ancient Rome, -and improving the modern city. Among numerous public buildings -erected, restored, or decorated by him were the Ponte Sisto, the -great hospital of Santo Spirito, the old Vatican Library, the -aqueduct of Trevi, the churches of La Pace, il Popolo, S. Vitale, S. -Sisto, S. Pietro in Vinculis, and many others. To the Riarii, by his -encouragement, we owe the Cancelleria Palace and the adjoining church -of S. Lorenzo in Damaso. The restoration of that of the SS. Apostoli, -begun on a grand scale by his nephew Pietro, was interrupted by the -early death of that dissolute minion, whose tomb remains in the -choir, finely conceived and beautifully executed. Nor was public -convenience overlooked amid such magnificent creations. As Augustus -was said to have replaced his capital of brick with one of marble, -it became proverbial that Sixtus rebuilt in brick what he found of -mud. He paved the streets, re-opened the sewers, conveyed the _aqua -vergine_ to the heart of the city. By proclaiming the jubilee at the -end of twenty-five years, instead of each half-century, he doubled -the influx of pilgrim revenues; and, warned by the catastrophe of -its preceding celebration, when crowds had been trodden down on the -Ponte S. Angelo, he provided for the devout multitude a new access -to S. Peter's by the bridge which bears his name. His beneficial -undertakings, however, extended far beyond the Eternal City: he -cleared out the choked harbour of Ostia, thoroughly repaired the -crumbling church of St. Francis at Assisi,[*213] and began, in -honour of the Santa Casa at Loreto, that gorgeous fane which was -unworthily finished by the next Pontiff of his name. Neither was -he indifferent to the social disorganisation of his metropolis. He -curbed its lawless state by a rigorous police. Public begging was -strictly suppressed; and all who could not prove some legitimate -means of livelihood were banished. Malefactors of every sort, after -summary conviction, were whipped through the streets, and consigned -to the galleys or the gallows. Daily executions took place for a -time, and though the measures adopted were both sanguinary and -oppressive, order and security were in a great degree restored to the -thoroughfares. - -[Footnote *213: Cf. FRATINI, _St. della Basilica e del -Convento di S. Francesco in Assisi_ (Prato, 1882), p. 260 _et seq._] - -There is reason to fear that the stern discipline, whereby he -vindicated public manners, was not applied to his personal habits. -Yet the character given of him by Infessura, whereon depends most -of the scandal by which his memory has been blackened, appears so -grossly exaggerated as to defeat its own end, and to establish a -charge of prejudice, if not of malevolence, against its author. To -transcribe it would be to stain our pages; but its purport is summed -up in some ribald Latin verses, borrowed, probably, from Pasquin, -which impute to the Pope every imaginable iniquity and disgraceful -indulgence, and congratulate Nero in being at length exceeded in -crime.[*214] - -[Footnote *214: "Sixtus," says CREIGHTON, "changed the -course of life in Rome because his own recklessness was heedless -of decorum. Hitherto the Roman court had worn a semblance of -ecclesiastical gravity.... Rome became more famous for pleasure than -for piety.... The Rovere stock was hard to civilise.... Hitherto the -Papacy had on the whole maintained a moral standard; for some time to -come it tended to sink even below the ordinary level. The loss that -was thus inflicted upon Europe was incalculable" (_op. cit._, vol. -IV., p. 132-3).] - -Although the name of Sixtus, as a friend of letters and arts, -has been dimmed by the more glorious ones of Nicolas V. and Leo -X., which at no long intervals preceded and followed him, the -memorials remaining of his judicious patronage are interesting and -important. Innocent III., in building the Hospital of S. Spirito, had -embellished it with six frescoes illustrative of its destination. -To these Sixtus added twenty-seven others, forming a cycle of -the personal and public incidents of his life, from his mother's -miraculous vision, to his anticipated introduction into Paradise by -St. Paul, in recompense of his piety. These paintings are no longer -visible; nor do we know from whose pencils the vast series emanated, -but in the Sistine Chapel, which perpetuates his name, and was his -most important artistic undertaking, his choice was unexceptionable. -Apart from the celebrity conferred upon it by the subsequent impress -of Buonarroti's stupendous inventions, the series wherein the lives -of our Saviour and of Moses are contrasted constitutes a chapter of -scarcely equalled importance in the progress of Christian painting. -Who can view the mighty themes of that oratory,--the types and -antitypes of scriptural history on its walls, the creations of -Omnipotence on its roof, the final Judgment over its altar,--without -gratitude to the della Rovere pontiffs, by whom these triumphs were -commissioned, and for the most part carried out? This may, indeed, -be called the foundation of the Roman pictorial school. Giotto, Fra -Angelico, Gentile da Fabriano, and Masaccio had, indeed, visited -the metropolis of Christendom, but no pontiff before Sixtus had -summoned hither, and at once employed, all the most distinguished -artists of Central Italy. The glorious band, though headed by -Perugino,[*215] consisted of Florentines,--Signorelli, Botticelli, -Rosselli, della Gatta, and Ghirlandaio; but these soon returned to -the art-loving and art-inspiring Arno, leaving on the plain of the -Tiber few other works, and a most transient influence, in exchange -for the classical ideas which they had imbibed in "august, imperial -Rome," and which quickly supplanted the sacred traditions of their -native school. Although Pinturicchio was not associated in their -labours upon the Sistine, he was busy upon other not less important -mural decorations, which still adorn the churches of Aracoeli, Sta. -Croce in Gerusalemme, and S. Onofrio. But Sta. Maria del Popolo was -especially the scene of his triumphs, under the auspices of various -Cardinals della Rovere, and other members of the consistory, who were -instigated by example of his Holiness to such laudable employment of -their exorbitant incomes. - -[Footnote *215: Pinturicchio was also among them; neither can -Signorelli be called a Florentine. Dennistoun is (_infra_) mistaken -in thinking that Pinturicchio did not work in the Sixtine Chapel. The -Baptism of Christ and the Journey of Moses are both from his hand.] - -Panvinio speaks of this Pope's solicitude to gather from all Europe -additions to the library founded by Nicolas V., and attest his having -first put it upon a satisfactory footing, by appointing qualified -persons to superintend it, and by assigning it an adequate endowment. -Though the rooms in which he placed books have been devoted to other -purposes, ever since Sixtus V. removed the augmented collection to -its present site, a most interesting memorial of the Pontiff's family -and court remains, and has till lately adorned its original locality. -It is a fresco, now transported to the Vatican Picture-gallery, -wherein Sixtus sits in a noble hall of imposing architecture, with -his librarian Bartolomeo Sacchi, surnamed Platina, kneeling at his -feet, and pointing to an inscription, which enumerates in rough -Latin verses, those ameliorations for which Rome was indebted to his -Holiness. In attendance stand his two favourite cardinal nephews; -Pietro, with features expressive of unrefined sensualism, wearing the -russet habit of the mendicant fraternity, from whose discipline he -emerged to lavish ill-gotten gold with rarely equalled prodigality; -whilst in the cold and unimpassioned countenance of Giuliano, we -vainly seek for those massive features, and that angry scowl, which -the pencil of Raffaele subsequently immortalised. The group is -completed by the two younger nephews, Girolamo, Lord of Forli, gawky -and common-place in figure, with the Prefect Giovanni, of blunt and -burly aspect. It would be difficult satisfactorily to render so large -a group in these pages, but we give an unedited and speaking likeness -of the Pontiff from a miniature of the same size prefixed to the MS. -of Platina's _Lives of the Popes_, dedicated to him and now in the -Vatican Library. - -Besides the claims of this fresco upon our notice, from representing -the important members of the della Rovere family, it would be still -more interesting to us, were it, as formerly supposed, from the -pencil of Pietro della Francesca, court-painter of Urbino. It is now, -however, ascribed, almost beyond question, to a pupil of his, sung by -Giovanni Sanzi, as - - "Melozzo, dear to me, - Who to perspective farther limits gave." - -His accurate study of geometrical principles taught him the most -difficult art of foreshortening, which he particularly adapted -to ceilings and vaulted roofs with a magical effect heretofore -unattempted. Applying a like treatment to the human form, he -succeeded in giving to the features a relief not inferior to that -attained by the plastic manner of Squarcione and his followers, -but infinitely excelling them in natural and noble character; and -thus, for the first time since the revival, as in the picture just -described, he gave to simple portraiture the stamp of historical -delineation. Melozzo, by birth a Forlian, had probably attracted the -notice of Girolamo Riario, on taking possession of his new state, -and the patronage bestowed upon him by the Count and his brother the -Cardinal, reflects credit upon their discrimination. In 1473, he was -employed by the latter to paint, in the apsis of SS. Apostoli at -Rome, our Lord's Ascension in presence of the apostles, one of the -grandest works of the time, miserably sacrificed by the destructive -alterations of last century. Some much over-daubed fragments of this -wonderful composition are built into the great stair at the Quirinal -Palace, and single heads are preserved in the sacristy of St. Peter's. - -The favour of this Pontiff, whom the prejudiced Infessura has -libelled as "the enemy of literary and reputable men," included -merit from every quarter. Baccio Pintelli, of Florence, was his chief -architect; Antonio Venezianello was conjoined by him with the Umbrian -della Francesca and Signorelli to decorate the sacristy at Loreto; -he pensioned Andrea d'Assisi, when early blindness had clouded those -great gifts ascribed to him by Vasari; the Tuscan Verrocchio, who had -come to Rome as a goldsmith, became, by his encouragement, a sculptor -of eminence, and the inventor of that charming style which da Vinci -brought to perfection in Lombard painting. - - * * * * * - -Deferring our notice of Giuliano, the favourite nephew of Sixtus -IV., we shall now mention his younger brother GIOVANNI, -immediate ancestor of the della Rovere Dukes of Urbino. He was born -in 1458, but we have no information as to his life before his uncle's -elevation. The ancient and honourable dignity of Prefect of the -favoured [_alma_] city of Rome was held by the Colonna, from the time -of Martin V., until the death of Antonio, Prince of Salerno, in 1472. -His son, Pier-Antonio, had been named to that office in reversion by -Pius II., but, upon the ground of nonage, Sixtus set aside his claim -and appointed his own nephew Leonardo della Rovere. He, too, having -died in 1475, the Pontiff conferred the prefecture, (with remainder -to his eldest son), on his next brother, Giovanni, to whom, on the -12th of the preceding October, he had given an investiture, in full -consistory, of Sinigaglia, Mondavio, Mondolfo, and Sta. Costanza. -At the same time, his marriage with Giovanna, second daughter of -Federigo, the newly-created Duke of Urbino, was celebrated with -becoming pomp, her dowry being 12,000 ducats; and on the 28th the -almost childish couple made a festive entry into their tiny state. -The Duke's presence and influence, though gladly given, were probably -not required to secure them a rapturous welcome, for elevation from -obscure provincialism to petty independence was ever a welcome boon -to an Italian community. To signalise and commemorate the auspicious -event, a young oak tree was planted in the piazza, with the motto in -Latin, "Long may it last," and was inaugurated amid boundless and -universal joy. A tournament was next day celebrated, succeeded by a -ball, in which the sovereigns and their new subjects freely mingled. - -From the narrative of Fra Graziano[216] we learn the immense benefit -which the new order of things brought to that hitherto obscure town. -Though boasting a certain importance under imperial Rome, it had -become so decayed as hardly to afford stabling for twenty horses. -The Prefect lost not a moment in meeting the exigencies of his -position; and though but a boy in years, proved himself possessed -of matured wisdom. Summoning from all quarters the best architects -and engineers, he opened new streets, and paved them; built palaces, -churches, convents, and a large hospital; constructed a harbour, -erected a citadel, and fortified his capital. But his most happy -expedient was the encouragement of an annual fair, which, gradually -extending in importance, rendered Sinigaglia a mart of commerce, and -continues to this day the most important in Italy.[*217] Nor were -his exertions confined within the city. Mondaino and other places of -minor note shared these improvements; and he brought from Lombardy -and Romagna a population of skilful agriculturists, to clear and -cultivate the forest lands which spread far around, until his state -became a fertile and corn-exporting district. - -[Footnote 216: Vat. Urb. MSS. No. 1023.] - -[Footnote *217: Cf. L. SIENA, _Storia di Sinigaglia_ -(Sinigaglia, 1764), p. 277 _et seq._; ANSELMI e -MANCINI, _Bibliografia Sinigagliese_ (Sinigaglia, 1905); -and MARCUCCI, _Francesco Maria I. della Rovere_, Parte I. -(1490-1527) (Sinigaglia, 1903).] - -The moral welfare of his people was meanwhile not overlooked; and -the strict propriety which he exerted himself to maintain, was -enforced by example as well as by precept. In his own practice, -and in the circle of his sanctimonious court, the decencies of -life were enforced with an almost monastic discipline, strangely -at variance with the usages of his age, and the temperament of his -near relations. Fra Graziano sums up his character as moderate in -his tastes, prudent in his counsels, mild, liberal, and just in -his administration, devoutly religious in his observances. His -consort possessed virtues, graces, and accomplishments worthy of her -husband's merits and her own beauty. - -The Prefect does not, however, seem to have been able in person to -superintend the beneficent administration which he had the good sense -to institute, for the Pontiff's doating nepotism required much of -his presence after the loss of Pietro Riario. The youthful couple -accordingly spent several years at the Vatican; and on their return -home, in 1479, Giovanni was presented by the city of Sinigaglia with -twelve silver cups weighing eighteen pounds. In 1482, they were -again sent for by Sixtus, who gave his nephew a palace on the Lago -di Vico. Even after his uncle's death, the Prefect enjoyed a large -share of papal favour, having from Innocent VIII., the baton as -captain-general of the Church. But, on the accession of Alexander -VI., the star of the della Rovere waned. In Cardinal Giuliano his -Holiness saw a powerful and talented rival; in the Prefect an -obstacle to his ambitious views for his bastard progeny. The former -prudently retired to France; the latter lived quietly in his vicariat. - - * * * * * - -In 1494, the Lord of Sinigaglia signalised himself by a feat worthy -the freebooting practice of his times. Zizim, or Gem, son of Mahomet -II., had right by his father's will to half the Turkish empire, but -was expelled by his brother Bajazet, in 1482.[*218] Having fled -to Rhodes, and placed himself under the protection of the Grand -Master, Bajazet offered the latter a pension of 40,000 (or as some -say 450,000) golden ducats, on condition of his being retained in -safe custody. From Rhodes he was removed to France, and, in 1489, -was brought to Rome, where, though received with much distinction by -Innocent VIII., he found himself virtually a prisoner, or hostage. -Bajazet, after failure of an attempt to have him assassinated, agreed -to pay that Pontiff and his successor, the same yearly subsidy of -40,000 ducats for his custody and entertainment, besides supplying -the Holy See with various important Christian relics from Palestine. -In 1494, the Sultan's usual annual pension having been remitted to -Rome through one Giorgio Bucciardo, accompanied by costly presents -for Alexander VI., the envoy, on leaving Ancona, where he had -disembarked, was set upon and plundered by Giovanni della Rovere. -After appropriating most of the treasure, to extinguish alleged -arrears of pay from the Holy See to himself and his troops, the -Prefect sanctified the deed by dedicating the residue to pious works, -employing the rich oriental stuffs for church ornaments. Soon after, -there were circulated in Rome, certified copies of a correspondence -between Alexander and the Sultan, with the oral instructions of his -Holiness, which Bucciardo had been induced to divulge, and which -throws a curious colour on this chapter of diplomacy.[219] - -[Footnote *218: The best contemporary account of Djem is that of -GUGLIELMO CAOURSIN, _Obsidimis Rhodii Urbis Descriptio_ -(Ulm, 1496). Cf. BURCHARD (ed. Thuasne), I., p. 528. -The amount seems to have been 45,000 ducats. See especially -HEIDENHEIMER, _Korrespondenz Bajazet II.'s mit Alexander -VI._, in _Zeitschrift fuer Kirchengeschichte_, vol. V., p. 511 _et -seq._ As usual, Creighton's account, _op. cit._, vol. IV., is -most excellent, written with the pen of a statesman. Heidenheimer -maintains the authenticity of the letters, and Creighton agrees -with him. "If the letters were forged, the forgery was the work of -Giovanni della Rovere," but there is no good ground for questioning -their genuineness.] - -[Footnote 219: These papers have been printed in Bossi's Italian -translation of ROSCOE'S _Leo X._, vol. IV., p. 220; but our -extracts were made from a MS. in Vat. Ottobon, Lib. No. 2206, f. 17.] - -The envoy, on being accredited to the Sultan, had to state to his -Highness, that the King of France was advancing upon Rome and -Naples, in order to dispossess Alfonso, the Pope's vassal and ally, -and to carry off Gem, with the project of providing him with a fleet, -and supporting him in an invasion of Turkey. That as his Holiness had -incurred great expenses in military preparations against a danger -thus affecting the Sultan as well as himself, he prayed from him an -advance of the 40,000 ducats due in November, to be remitted by the -bearer. And he was further to induce his Highness to adopt every -means likely to alienate his Venetian allies from French interests in -the approaching struggle, and to attach them to the party of Naples. - -The Sultan's answer is contained in a letter addressed to the -Pontiff, wherein this passage occurs:--"For these reasons, we began, -with Giorgio Bucciardo, to consider that for your Potency's peace, -convenience, and honour, and for my satisfaction, it would be well -you should make the said Gem, my brother, die, who is deserving -of death, and detained in your hands; which would be most useful -to himself and your Potency, most conducive to tranquillity, and -further, very agreeable to myself! And if your Mightiness is content -to oblige me in this matter, as in your discretion we trust you will -do, it is desirable, for maintenance of your own authority, and for -our full satisfaction, that your Mightiness will, in the manner -that seems best to you, have the said Gem removed from the straits -of this world, transferring his soul to another life, where it will -enjoy more quiet. And if your Potency will do this, and will send us -his body to any place on this side of our channel, we, the foresaid -Sultan Bajazet Chan, promise to pay 300,000 ducats at any place your -Mightiness may stipulate, that your Potency may therewith buy some -sovereignties for your sons." To this cold-blooded offer are added -many general professions of eternal amity towards his Holiness, and -promises that his subjects will everywhere forbear from aggression -upon Christians; and after stating that he had in the envoy's -presence taken his oath for the performance of all these obligations, -he concludes thus:--"And further I, the aforesaid Sultan Bajazet -Chan, swear by the true God, who created the heaven, the earth, and -all things therein, in whom we believe, and whom we adore, that I -shall make performance of every thing contained above, and shall -never in any respect countermine or oppose your Mightiness. From -our palace at Constantinople, the 15th of September, in the year of -Christ's advent, 1494." - -Although discredit was thrown upon these documents by the Roman -court, and the whole affair was alleged to be a device of Cardinals -della Rovere and Gurk, to screen the Prefect at the Pontiff's -expense,[220] it appears clear that a bribe was offered by Bajazet -for the destruction of his brother, who did not long survive this -incident. Alexander accepted 20,000 ducats from Charles VIII. to put -Gem into his hands during six months, as a tool for his ambitious -design upon the East; and in the treaty between his Holiness and -the French monarch, dated 15th January, 1495, there is a special -article that the former should consign "the Turk" to his Majesty -as a hostage, to be kept in the castle of Terracina, or elsewhere, -in the ecclesiastical territories, from whence Charles came under -a promise not to remove him "unless in case of need, in order to -prevent an invasion of the other Turks, or to make war upon them." -He also bound himself to defend the Pope from any descent of the -Infidel upon the Adriatic coast, and, on quitting Italy, to restore -Gem to his custody, his Holiness meanwhile continuing to draw the -Sultan's pension, and for due observance of these conditions, Charles -bound himself in a penalty of 800,000 ducats. By another article he -undertook to arbitrate in the complaint brought against the Prefect, -in the affair of Bucciardo and the captured subsidy. It is further -stipulated that the Cardinal della Rovere should be restored to -favour, and replaced as legate at Avignon; and that, on termination -of the Neapolitan enterprise, Ostia should be again surrendered into -his hands.[221] - -[Footnote 220: _Lettere de' Principi_, II., 4.] - -[Footnote 221: _Molini Documenti di Storia Italiana_, I., 23.] - -This oriental Prince's sudden demise, which soon followed, was -attributed to various causes, but a general belief imputed it to -poison, in implement of the Pope's engagement to Bajazet. Zizim -is represented as far superior to his countrymen in mind and -attainments; and we shall by and by find him honoured as a Maecenas -of literature. A very different impression is, however, left by the -amusing, but obviously caricatured, description of him transmitted -from Rome in 1489, by Andrea Mantegna, the painter, to his patron -the Marquis of Mantua:[222]--"The Turk's brother is here, strictly -guarded in the palace of his Holiness, who allows him all sorts of -diversion, such as hunting, music, and the like. He often comes to -eat in this new palace where I am painting,[223] and for a barbarian, -his manners are not amiss. There is a sort of majestic bearing about -him, and he never doffs his cap to the Pope, having in fact none; for -which reason they don't raise the cowl to him either.[224] He eats -five times a-day, and sleeps as often; before meals he drinks sugared -water like a monkey. He has the gait of an elephant, but his people -praise him much, especially for his horsemanship; it may be so, but -I have never seen him take his feet out of the stirrups, or give any -other proof of skill. He is a most savage man, and has stabbed, at -least, four persons, who are said not to have survived four hours. -A few days ago, he gave such a cuffing to one of his interpreters -that they had to carry him to the river, in order to bring him round. -It is believed that Bacchus pays him many a visit. On the whole he -is dreaded by those about him. He takes little heed of any thing, -like one who does not understand, or has no reason. His way of life -is quite peculiar; he sleeps without undressing, and gives audience -sitting cross-legged, in the Parthian fashion. He carries on his head -sixty thousand yards of linen, and wears so long a pair of trowsers -that he is lost in them, and astonishes all beholders. Once I have -well seen him, I shall forward your Excellency a sketch of him, which -I should send you with this, but that I have not yet fairly got near -him; for when he gives now one sort of look and then another, in the -true inamorato style, I cannot impress his features on my memory. -Altogether he has a fearful face, especially when Bacchus has been -with him. I shall no longer tire your Excellency with this familiar -joking style; to whom I again and again commend myself, and pray your -pardon if too much at home." Homely it is in good earnest, being -written in the Lombardo-Venetian dialect, some passages of which -baffle translation.[225] - -[Footnote 222: _Lettere Pittoriche_, VIII., p. 23.] - -[Footnote 223: In the Belvidere, where his frescoes have -unfortunately perished.] - -[Footnote 224: Panvinio tells us that, being received in full -consistory on his arrival in Rome, he refused to kiss the Pope's toe, -but only his knee.] - -[Footnote 225: The reverse of this caricatured portrait may be -found in a curious account of this unfortunate prince's romantic -adventures, given by the Turkish historian, Saadeddin-effendi, -and printed by Masse in his _Histoire du Pape Alexander VI._, pp. -382-408.] - - * * * * * - -It is, however, time to return from the digression into which this -singular and romantic history of the Turkish Prince has tempted us. -Alexander, greatly exasperated by the insults put upon his envoy, -and by the loss of a most opportune remittance, threatened the -Prefect with deprivation of his state; but finding his people, and -the neighbouring communities prepared to stand by him, deferred his -vengeance. Notwithstanding a reference of the whole affair to the -French monarch, by the treaty of 1495, nearly six years elapsed ere -Giovanni della Rovere was formally absolved from the daring exploit. -He was not spared to witness the revival and aggrandisement of -his family's fortunes by his elder brother's election to the papal -throne. On the 6th of November, 1501, death found him already attired -in a winding-sheet appropriate to the devotional habits of the age, -the cowl formerly worn by the beatified Fra Giacomo della Marca. - -Two miles west from Sinigaglia, on a rising ground which overlooks -the city, commanding the fertile vale of the Misa, from its Apennine -rampart to the bright waves of the blue Adriatic, there stands a -convent of Zoccolantine Franciscans. It was founded by the piety -of the Prefect and his consort; it was the chosen retreat of their -devotional hours, and was selected by them as the spot for their -last repose. There he was laid, agreeably to his dying wish, in -the Franciscan habit; and a plain marble slab in the pavement -commemorates his titles, and her worth, "in prosperity and adversity -comparable, nay preferable, to the best and noblest of her sex." -There, too, was composed by Father di Francia, guardian of the -convent, that brief record of the merits of his sovereign and patron -from which the preceding sketch has in part been compiled. The -original MS. has disappeared in the general havoc of ecclesiastical -treasures; but in the adjoining church there has been marvellously -preserved from the sacrilegious rapine of French invaders, from the -selfish gripe of unscrupulous collectors, and from the merciless -ignorance of modern restorers, an interesting memorial of the -persons, piety, and artistic tastes of this princely pair. Into a -small picture of the Madonna and Child are introduced, on either -side, portraits of Giovanni della Rovere and his wife, their arms -devoutly crossed, their dress displaying no royal gauds except her -simple string of pearls, and a large crystal bead suspended from his -neck by a double gold chain. Their regular and unimpassioned features -are, probably, somewhat idealised by the pencil of one more happy, -as well as more habituated, to embody inspirations of religious -mysticism, than to portray the indexes of human passion. Nothing is -known of the artist, but he must have been among the foremost in the -Umbrian school. - -By his will, the Prefect left his only son under the joint -guardianship of the Venetian senate, his widow, his brother the -Cardinal, and the gallant Andrea Doria, whose faithful services -we have formerly mentioned. To his consort he bequeathed 20,000 -ducats, and 7000 to each of his daughters. On the 18th of November, -Francesco Maria rode through Sinigaglia, to receive the allegiance -of his subjects; but being only eleven years of age, his mother -continued to govern for his behoof, whilst his education was chiefly -conducted at the court of her brother, the Duke of Urbino. For a -time she was spared the fate of the Romagnese princes; and it was -not until Guidobaldo's second flight that the arms of Borgia reached -her frontier. Aware how deeply her personal safety was perilled by -the approach of so sanguinary a foe, her friend Doria, who commanded -the garrison, sent her off disguised in male apparel; and, after -a fatiguing flight through mountain-paths, she reached Florence, -accompanied only by one confidential servant and a female attendant. -The defence of her citadel against an overwhelming force being -utterly vain, Doria retired just before the massacre of his allies by -Cesare Borgia, which we have recounted in our nineteenth chapter of -this work. There, too, we have narrated the young Prefect's escape -to France, where he remained under his uncle's auspices, until the -latter was called to assume the triple tiara. Giovanna lived until -1514, and passed from worldly trials just before adverse fortune had -again exiled her son from his rightful states. Ere we proceed to -consider his eventful life, we shall close this chapter with a few -brief notices of his uncle Giuliano, the greatest of the della Rovere -race. - - * * * * * - -An account of JULIUS II. should be, in a great degree, a -history of Italy during the crisis of its fate; but as we have in -other portions of this work to glance at those events of his life -and pontificate most connected with the politics of Urbino, and with -the succession of his nephew to that duchy, we shall here, as in the -case of his uncle Sixtus, limit ourselves to a few notices of his -character and personal history, including his exertions in behalf of -art. - -Giuliano della Rovere[*226] was in most respects the reverse of -Pietro Riario, his cousin and rival in the affections of Sixtus IV. -Moderate in his tastes and habits, his attendants were chosen for -their orderly lives; his equipages were as scanty as the exigencies -of rank would permit; his table was economical as his apparel, -unless when called upon to show fitting hospitality to persons of -distinction. Among the virtues with which he adorned the dignity -of cardinal, Panvinio enumerates the modesty of his demeanour, the -gravity of his address, the elegance of his winning manners. The -less partial Volterrano characterises him as somewhat severe in -disposition, and of a genius ordinary as his learning. Dignities were -conferred upon him in rapid succession by his uncle, including the -sees of Albano, Sabina, Ostia, Velletri, and Avignon, with the more -important offices of Grand Penitentiary and Legate of Picene and -Avignon. The latter appointment occasioned his prolonged residence -out of Italy during the reign of Innocent VIII., and afforded him a -convenient escape from the snares of his inveterate enemy Alexander -VI. Their mutual disgusts, arising from opposite characters and rival -interests, were, according to Infessura, brought to a climax by the -Cardinal's adherence to Neapolitan interests, in December, 1492, on -the question of Leonora Queen of Hungary's divorce. He then retired -to his citadel-see at Ostia, where, at the abbey of Grotta Ferrata, -his moats and battlements remain, witnesses to his warlike spirit, -as well as to the perils of those troubled times. But, considering -himself even there insecure, he ere long withdrew to Naples, whence, -after narrowly escaping seizure by the Pope's emissaries, he again -reached Ostia in an open boat. On the approach of an army under -Nicolo Count of Pittigliano, he fled thence to France, leaving the -garrison in charge of the Prefect, who soon capitulated, on condition -that neither he nor his brother should incur ecclesiastical censures. -Grotto Ferrata was about the same time seized and delivered over to -Fabrizio Colonna, on payment of 10,000 ducats. - -[Footnote *226: For authorities for Pope Julius II., cf. -CREIGHTON, vol. V., pp. 305-6, where an excellent _resume_ -is given.] - -The outrages which the Cardinal had thus received at the hands of -the Borgian Pontiff, in unworthy vengeance for his honest opposition -to the nepotism and other scandals which then disgraced the Vatican, -galled his pride, tending to rouse that fierce spirit which, although -alien to the character ascribed to his earlier years, became the -bane of his pontificate. This was, indeed, the turning point of -his life, and it developed a policy utterly at variance with his -ultimate views. Having attended Charles in his march across the Alps, -his ardent temperament often aided to sustain that weak monarch's -wavering resolutions. Had he then considered more his country's -interests, and less his private wrongs, the storm might yet have been -averted, and Italy might have been spared, for a time, from those -ultramontane armaments which he now conducted into her bosom, but -which it was the aim of his after-life to eject. The French King, -having achieved his rapid acquisition of Naples, instigated the -Colonna to seize upon Ostia, and, as he passed northward, restored -it to its cardinal-bishop, who there once more sought security -from the Pope. But Giuliano found in his stronghold no adequate -protection against so bitter and unscrupulous a foe. Alexander, on -the retirement of the French army, entered into an alliance with the -reinstated King of Naples, and in 1497 employed Gonsalvo di Cordova -to reduce Ostia, whose garrison had embarrassed the navigation of the -Tiber, and intercepted supplies from his capital. Eschewing the risks -of an unavailing resistance, the Cardinal once more escaped by sea, -and rejoined Charles at Lyons, whilst the Great Captain was rewarded -for his easy conquest with the Golden Rose. - -Cardinal della Rovere, having in 1597 been declared enemy of the Holy -See, and deprived of his benefices by the Pontiff, against the will -of the consistory, withdrew for security to his native shores, and -awaited at Savona the conclusion of what was to many of his order -a reign of terror. At the moment of Cesare Borgia's invasion of -Urbino, he narrowly escaped the fate destined for his brother-in-law -Guidobaldo, and his nephew, the young Prefect. On pretence of a -complimentary mission to Louis XII., the papal fleet had sailed -towards Provence, with orders to visit Savona, where, if the Cardinal -did not voluntarily pay his respects to the envoys, he was to be -inveigled on board, and carried off. But warned by past experience -against civilities emanating from such a quarter, he escaped the -danger by cautiously evading the perilous invitation. - -The sudden and unanimous election of Giuliano to succeed Pius -III.--which we have elsewhere narrated--may well be deemed -marvellous, considering the various interests that distracted the -conclave, and the influence still ostensibly possessed in it by -Valentino, the arch-foe of the Rovere race. There could be no more -convincing proof that all parties were tired of the recent system, -nor of their resolution to put an end to similar enormities. His -morals, though hitherto far from immaculate, were pure in comparison -with those which prevailed around him; above all, his lapses were -neither matter of bravado, nor of open scandal.[227] His errors were -of a loftier range, and if more directly perilous to the public, -they belonged to a nobler category, and sprang from generous and -praiseworthy impulses, and tended to public objects and the elevation -of the papacy. Ascending a throne shaken by complicated convulsions, -succeeding to a treasury drained for selfish ends, and to an -authority waning under long-established abuses, it was his bounden -duty to beware _ne aliquid detrimenti respublica capiat_. But, not -content with resisting such further "detriment to the commonwealth," -and with recovering the ground recently lost, his conscience, more -perhaps than his ambition, urged him to new triumphs. He was a great -pontiff after the mediaeval estimate of the papacy. Little occupying -himself with the bulwarks of a faith which he presumed impregnable, -or the dogmas of a church still paramount over Christendom, he -considered the temporal sovereignty and aggrandisement of the Keys to -be his special vocation. Like the early Guelphs, he regarded Italy -as St. Peter's patrimony, to be vindicated from all intruders: to -establish her nationality, and extirpate the barbarian invaders, -were merely steps to that end. Italian unity, though not as yet -proposed for political aspirations or utopian dreams, was the result -towards which this policy would probably have led both Julius and -his successor, had the former been longer spared, and had the narrow -views with which the latter pursued it not involved him in continual -difficulties, and accelerated the decline of papal ascendancy. - -[Footnote 227: He had certainly two natural children, and Bernardo -Capello alludes to the inroads upon his constitution, occasioned -by gout and _morbus Gallicus_ (Ranke, App., sect. i., No. 6); the -latter term seems, however, to have been often in that age completely -misapplied.] - -But no personal ambition ever dictated the schemes of Julius, nor -did a thought for the nations whose destinies he hazarded ever cross -his mind. In the spirit of a crusader he marched against Perugia and -Bologna; he personally superintended the siege of Mirandula; and -when he donned the casque and cuirass, it was because they were to -him more familiar than the wiles of diplomacy. A stranger to those -dilatory tactics which we shall find marring the reputation of his -nephew, the Duke of Urbino, success crowned his aggressive measures -and impetuous movements, when greater circumspection might have -been attended with less advantageous results; and it was his good -fortune not to outlive those reverses which his precipitation almost -necessarily incurred. He was, in truth, gifted with qualities and -talents befitting the camp rather than the consistory, and Francis I. -pronounced him a better general of division than a pope. Had he been -bred a condottiere, the political aspect of Italy might have been -convulsed by him, and the papacy might have suffered still more from -his sword than it did from his policy. Yet if his militant tastes -occasioned greater scandal than the less blustering turbulence of -Alexander and Leo, and have proved equally detrimental to popery, -they are hallowed in the eyes of its champions in consideration -of his purer motives. By them accordingly he is upheld as one of -its pillars, while by most historians he has been mentioned as a -favourable exception to the prevailing bad faith of his times. Yet, -though greedy of conquest, he was far from indifferent to those -internal reforms requisite for the stability of his government. -According to Capello, the Venetian envoy, he possessed great -practical sagacity, and was led by no one, though willing to hear -all opinions. His judicious measures added two-thirds to the revenue -of the Holy See, chiefly by correcting the depreciated currency in -which it was paid. In personal expenses he was penuriously sparing, -contracting with his house-steward, to whom he allowed but 1500 -ducats for the monthly bills of the palace.[228] - -[Footnote 228: Ranke, Appendix, sect. i. No. 6.] - -But this picture has its reverse. In the two following chapters -of these memoirs we shall find the head of the universal Church -harassing his flock by perpetual warfare--the high-priest of the -Christian hierarchy seemingly indifferent to the purity of Catholic -rites, and utterly oblivious of peace and charity. - -By lovers of art the memory of Julius II. will ever be embalmed -among the foremost of its princely patrons, and his appreciation -of literature may be learned from his remark, that letters are -silver to the people, gold to the nobles, diamonds to princes. We -have elsewhere to speak of his vast undertakings in architecture, -sculpture, and painting, which earned from Vasari the reputation -of a spirited pontiff, bent upon leaving memorials of a zealous -and liberal encouragement of art. His lavish outlay on St. Peter's -strikingly contrasts with his habitual economy. To meet it he -authorised a general collection, towards which the Franciscans -gathered 27,000 ducats, and in 1507 he proclaimed a sale of jubilee -indulgences. This device laid all Christendom under contribution, and -proved so productive that he and Leo were tempted almost annually -to repeat it, little aware what weapons they were thus forging for -future schismatics. The example of his uncle Sixtus, in summoning for -the decoration of his capital whatever talent merited such patronage, -was followed up by him with the energy belonging to his nature. -Besides commencing the metropolitan fane, the immense _cortile_, -corridors, and _loggie_ of the Vatican, and the unequalled frescoes -of the _stanze_, he was truly the founder of a museum of ancient art. -He rescued the Laocoon and rewarded its discoverer; the Apollo and -the Torso took their epithet of Belvidere from the pavilion in which -he placed them. - -Rome owes to him, among other improvements, one of its longest and -finest streets, bearing his name, where he began a series of palaces -for public offices and the courts of justice, unfortunately never -completed. The churches which he re-founded or decorated include -S. Pietro in Montorio, Sta. Agnese, SS. Apostoli, and the Madonna -del Popolo. In the last of these are the beautiful windows which -he brought two famous glass-painters from Marseilles to execute; -and beneath them those purest specimens of the revival, in which he -invited Sansovino's exquisite chisel to commemorate his talented -rival Ascanio Sforza, and his cousin the Cardinal of Recanati. For -objects so laudable the moment was propitious, and fortune seconded -his efforts; but it was more than chance which enabled him to select -at once the greatest painter, the most gifted sculptor, and the first -architect whom the modern world has seen,--to give simultaneous -employment worthy of their genius to Raffaele, Michael Angelo, and -Bramante. - -His successor has found among ourselves a biographer[*229] who -brought the enthusiasm of a eulogist to grace the more solid -qualifications of a historian, whose eloquence has thrown around -the era of Leo a brilliancy leaving in comparative obscurity the -pontificate of Julius, whence many of its rays were virtually -borrowed. But the progress of our narrative will lead us to introduce -some less flattered sketches of the Medicean pontiff. In stimulating -the search for choice fragments of antique sculpture, the son of -Lorenzo de' Medici but followed the course which his father had -indicated, and which Julius had zealously pursued. St. Peter's, -perverted under him into a crowning abuse destined to wean men from -their old faith, had been founded by his predecessor as the mighty -temple of a church, Catholic in fact as well as in name. Michael -Angelo, summoned by Julius to decorate his capital with the grandest -of his efforts in architecture, sculpture, and painting, was banished -by his successor to waste his energies in engineering the marble -quarries of Pietra Santa. Raphael was diverted by Leo from that cycle -of religious frescoes which the genius of Julius had commissioned, -in order to distract his powers upon multifarious, less important, -and less congenial occupations. - -[Footnote *229: WILLIAM ROSCOE, _Life of Leo X._, 4 vols. -(3rd ed.), 1847.] - -Nor need we fear a comparison between these pontiffs on more -important points of their respective policy. The wars of Julius were -undertaken for the aggrandisement of the papacy, and his nephew was -used as an instrument to that end. Those of Leo were waged for the -interests of his family at the expense of the Holy See. The former is -reported to have left five millions of golden ducats in the treasury; -the latter unquestionably burdened it with heavy debts. The measures -of Julius may have encouraged divisive courses and a schismatic -council; but those of Leo matured the Reformation, and permitted a -small cloud, which he might have dispersed while forming upon the -horizon, to spread unheeded over the heavens, until Central Europe -was withdrawn from the light and influence of the Roman church. - -In fine, during the pontificates of Sixtus and of Julius more was -done for the encouragement of literature and arts, for the temporal -extension of the papacy, and for the embellishment of its metropolis, -than has ever been effected in any similar period. The combined -reigns of the two Medicean popes have left no equal memorials. It -cannot be doubted that the patronage bestowed by his ancestors on -men of science and letters was liberally continued by Leo; yet it is -as much to the zeal of partial historians, as to his own policy of -success, that he stands indebted for the halo of glory which marks -his as a golden age. In many instances he but followed out the aims -of Julius, reaping their undivided glory; in others he fell sadly -short of his predecessor in energy and comprehensive views. The bad -seed which he freely scattered ripened into irreparable mischiefs -under his vacillating nephew, and the sack of Rome, which we shall by -and by describe, was their crowning calamity. After that event the -proud city was once again left desolate and impoverished, the prey -of barbarian spoilers; its population thinned, its court outraged, -its glories gone. When the judgment of posterity has passed into a -proverb it is too late to question its equity, or to appeal from its -fiat, and the name of Leo the Tenth will thus remain identified with -his age as the star whence its lustre was derived, although Italy was -then brightened by not a few orbs of scarcely inferior brilliancy or -less genial influence. - - - - -BOOK SIXTH - - OF FRANCESCO MARIA DELLA ROVERE - FOURTH DUKE OF URBINO - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII - - Youth of Duke Francesco Maria I.--The League of - Cambray--His marriage--His first military service--The - Cardinal of Pavia's treachery--Julius II. takes the field. - - -To the family della Rovere, whom we have traced in the preceding -chapter, an heir was born on the 25th of March, 1490. His father, -the Lord Prefect, acknowledged his arrival to be a divine blessing, -and, as then usual, testified gratitude by the selection of his -baptismal names. St. Francis was the established tutelary saint of -the family, under whose guidance Sixtus IV. believed himself to have -obtained the tiara, and to whom his brother the Prefect addressed his -orisons for a male child. It came into the world on the fete of the -Annunciation, and was immediately christened Francesco Maria,[*230] -in honour of the saint and of the Madonna. In this, his only male -offspring, centred the hopes and interests of the Lord of Sinigaglia; -and after his death, in 1501, the boy was carried to the court of -Urbino, where his progress was watched with almost paternal anxiety -by Duke Guidobaldo. His mother occasionally visited there after her -widowhood, although from motives of perhaps misplaced delicacy, -she resided chiefly on her husband's fiefs of Sora and Arci in the -Neapolitan territory. - -[Footnote *230: See MARCUCCI: _Francesco Maria I. della -Rovere_ (Sinigaglia, 1903).] - -The first care of his uncle Guidobaldo was to obtain for him a -renewal of the prefecture of Rome, which his father had held; and as -that appointment was in the hands of Alexander VI., an enemy of the -della Rovere, the Duke of Urbino had recourse to the influence of -Louis XII. with the Pontiff. This application was warmly seconded in -the same quarter by the Cardinal of S. Pietro in Vinculis, paternal -uncle of Francesco Maria, and an adherent of the French interests. -The readiness wherewith his Holiness accorded this dignity, and even -held out hopes of marrying his niece, Angela Borgia, to the young -Prefect, induced his uncles to hint at their project of adopting him -as heir to the dukedom, a step which required the papal sanction. But -they were met by temporising answers, and found, ere long, that the -apparent frankness of Alexander was but a cover to that deep-laid -plot of destruction, involving both Guidobaldo and his nephew, which -we have already developed. - -Meanwhile, Francesco Maria's education advanced in letters and arms, -with every aid which books, talented preceptors, and distinguished -society could afford. His earliest instructor had been Antonio -Crastini of Sassoferrato, a man of excellent judgment, and well -skilled in theology and philosophy, to whom his father had entrusted -the command of Sinigaglia, and whose services were eventually -rewarded by Julius II. with the sees of Cagli and Montefeltro. -Ludovico Odasio still resided at the court of his former pupil -Duke Guidobaldo, who placed under his superintendence his youthful -relation. The lad, though small in stature for his years, was -remarkable for strength and activity, as well as for an active -temperament and lively talents. He was liberal, and even careless, -of money; but all his pleasure was in the military art, all his -ambition centred in martial glory, for Nicolo of Fossombrone, -and another famous astrologer, had predicted from his horoscope -high deeds of arms. After passing hours in the study of history -and classical literature, and of those sciences wherein princes -then sought pre-eminence, he found relaxation in horsemanship and -martial exercises, under the eye of such honoured veterans of Duke -Federigo as still wore their well-won laurels in the palace of -his son. Thus was his youthful mind moulded to the noblest forms of -chivalry, without those idle appendages which the affectation of -other times has exaggerated into caricature. - -[Illustration: _Alinari_ - -FRANCESCO MARIA I DELLA ROVERE - -_After the picture by Titian in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence_ - -_(From the Ducal Collection)_] - -The whirlwind that broke in upon this calm, and sent the Lords of -Urbino and Sinigaglia into houseless exile, has been described in -the eighteenth chapter of these memoirs. Francesco Maria, after -accompanying his uncle's midnight flight as far as Sta. Agata, -reached Bologna through mountain paths; and, having by great prudence -escaped the attempts of Giovanni Bentivoglio to apprehend him, in -compliance with Valentino's orders, he made his way by Genoa to -Savona, where his uncle, the Cardinal della Rovere, resided. But -the latter, not satisfied of his security, and anxious to place him -where he would have better means of improvement, sent him to his see -of Avignon, and thence recommended him to Louis XII., who received -him with high favour. In the court then established at Lyons he -resumed his education, especially in those military and personal -accomplishments for which it was distinguished, and quickly acquired -great proficiency in the French language. There he attached himself -much to the youthful Gaston de Foix, acting as his page of honour, -and gained some notice from the King, who bore testimony to his -precocious attainments in chivalry, by bestowing upon him the order -of St. Michael ere he had completed his thirteenth year. - -The events already recorded in connection with the death of Alexander -VI., restored Francesco Maria to his rights unquestioned; but his -first care was to obey a summons of his cardinal uncle, who had been -elected to the tiara. Travelling from France with his cousin-german -Galeotto Franciotti, whom Julius had named to the hat just vacated by -himself, he reached Rome amid public rejoicings on the 2nd of March, -1504. He immediately received the command of a hundred men-at-arms, -and steps were promptly taken for his public recognition as -heir-apparent of Urbino. Accompanying Guidobaldo into the Marca, he -was welcomed at Sinigaglia, on the 17th of June, by the unanimous -voice of his people. On the 18th of September he was invested with -the dukedom of Urbino in reversion, when he received the homage of -his future subjects with a ceremonial which we have described at p. -37, and which was attended by delegates from all parts of the state, -to adhibit the consent of their constituents. As a finishing stroke -to these measures for consolidating the della Rovere sovereignty, a -marriage was about the same time contracted between the Prefect and -Leonora Gonzaga, daughter of Francesco Marquis of Mantua. To this -arrangement, which turned out in all respects fortunate, the wishes -of her aunt, the Duchess Elisabetta of Urbino,[*231] were mainly -conducive; and preliminaries were negotiated by Count Castiglione, -whose high favour with both contracting parties, as well as his -diplomatic address, well qualified him for the mission. It was -announced in January, 1505, but the ceremony was postponed for -four years, on account of their youth. To the charms of the bride, -Castiglione bears this tribute: "If ever there were united wisdom, -grace, beauty, genius, courtesy, gentleness, and refined manners, -it was in her person, where these combined qualities form a chain -adorning her every movement." - -[Footnote *231: She was betrothed in the same month in which her -father died. The marriage had long been desired by Elisabetta. -Giustiniani mentions a report of it in his Despatches (_Dispacci_, -vol. II., p. 359) even in 1503. Mrs. ADY (_Isabella d'Este_, -vol. I., p. 267) says the Marquis of Mantua desired it "as a means of -obtaining the Cardinalate which he had been striving to obtain for -his brother during the last fifteen years."] - -[Illustration: _Anderson_ - -VENETIAN WEDDING-DRESS IN SIXTEENTH CENTURY - -_After the picture called "La Flora" by Titian in the Uffizi Gallery, -Florence_] - -But although too young for matrimony, the Prefettino was allowed to -flesh his maiden sword under his future father-in-law's command, in -the expedition undertaken by Julius against the lords of Perugia and -Bologna. In a military view the campaign was totally uninteresting; -but in some skirmishes before Castel S. Pietro, Francesco Maria -gained his general's approbation, and thus favourably entered upon -the career wherein he was destined to high distinction. The greater -part of his time was spent at Urbino, acquainting himself with the -people over whom he was to reign, and with the duties that awaited -him. Its limited court was rich in merit, and beneath an exterior -of elegance and high polish, learning and accomplishments of every -sort were cultivated and honoured to a degree elsewhere unknown. -The laxity of morals which, notwithstanding the example of both -sovereigns, accompanied that refinement, may be estimated from an -anecdote sadly instancing the failing in Francesco Maria's character, -which proved the bane of his whole life. We shall narrate it in the -words of an anonymous diary, already largely drawn upon for the reign -of Guidobaldo I.[232] "The Duke, [Guidobaldo] having brought up about -his person one Giovanni Andrea, a bravo of Verona, he made him his -favourite, and conferred upon him the order of the Golden Spur, as -well as the fief of Sasso-Corbaro, and some mills on the Foglia. He -was extremely handsome and generally liked; and it happened that -Madama Maria, daughter of the late Prefect Giovanna of Sinigaglia, -and widow of Venanzio of Camerino, who had been slain by Cesare -Borgia, was residing in Urbino with her son. Being still young, she -fell in love with this Giovanni Andrea, and was reported to have -borne him a son. Whereupon her brother, the Prefect, sent for him one -Saturday evening, and in the ducal chamber beset him with his people, -and assassinated him with twenty-four blows. At the same moment, -one of his attendants went out and slew a servant of Madama Maria, -who was said to have delivered their messages. On the following -evening, being Sunday, the body was carried to the cathedral with -distinguished honours, accompanied by all the gentlemen of the ducal -household, and by a concourse of the citizens, for he was generally -lamented by persons of every rank, and no one had died for a length -of time more regretted. And this occurred on the 6th of October, -1507." - -[Footnote 232: Vat. Urb. MSS. No. 904, f. 89.] - - * * * * * - -We have elsewhere endeavoured to sketch the brilliant society in -which the Prefect's youthful mind was developed; in due time we shall -find several of its prominent members crossing him in the tangled -weft of human destiny, as friends or foes, according to their several -interests. We have also noticed the affectionate duty he continued to -interchange with the Duke and Duchess, and the circumstances in which -he succeeded to their state. Guidobaldo closed his life of suffering -on the 11th of April, 1508, and on the 14th Francesco Maria, after -high mass in the cathedral, produced the will naming him heir of the -duchy and dignities.[*233] The gonfaloniere of Urbino then presented -to him the city keys in a great silver basin, and also its standard, -accompanied with a complimentary address. He next was arrayed in the -ducal mantle of white satin doubled with gold brocade, and a cap -faced with ermine, over which was placed the coronet; then mounting a -superb charger richly housed, he was escorted through the principal -streets by an enthusiastic multitude shouting "ROVERE and -FELTRO, DUKE and PREFECT!" in whose joyous hurrahs it would have been -difficult to identify the disconsolate populace who not many hours -before had raised their coronach over Guidobaldo's mortal remains. On -returning, his horse was seized as their perquisite, and his mantle -torn into shreds, which were scrambled for as relics to be treasured -in memory of the day. - -[Footnote *233: Cf. LUZIO E RENIER, _Mantova ed Urbino_ -(Torino, 1893), p. 182.] - -This spontaneous loyalty, and their satisfaction at the maintenance -of their national independence, did not, however, prevent the -citizens from recollecting their interests. On the new Duke's first -appearance at Urbino the authorities had gathered round his horse to -kiss his hands and knees, and to beseech attention to their wishes. -Pleading recent fatigues, he declined entering then upon business, -and the gonfaloniere, readily accepting the excuse, summoned a sort -of parliament of the principal inhabitants to decide what favours -and privileges should be asked as a preliminary to their homage. -Estimating this movement at its actual value, rather than by its -bearing upon any theories of self-government, Baldi has entered into -no details of these demands: their object may, however, be guessed -at from the municipal concessions made by Francesco Maria on the -31st of May, whereby precedence was granted to the gonfaloniere over -the podesta; and the salaries of the city physician, lawyer, and -schoolmaster were undertaken by the sovereign, who also consented to -a modification of the imposts on agricultural produce.[*234] - -[Footnote *234: The document is printed by LUZZATTO, _Comune -e principato in Urbino nei secc. xv. e xvi._, in _Le Marche_ (1905), -An. v., p. 196 _et seq._] - -Although the popularity both of the extinguished dynasty and of the -youth who was destined to replace it, together with an absence of -all conflicting claims, rendered the succession safe and certain, -every measure which prudence could suggest had been taken by the -Pope to secure its being peacefully effected. A few excitable -spirits having assumed arms, in apprehension of some revolutionary -movement, a proclamation was issued on the morning subsequent to -the Duke's decease, commanding all to lay them down. On the 17th a -papal brief was addressed to the people, condoling with them on their -bereavement, and applauding their dutiful and orderly reception of -Francesco Maria. An envoy, deputed by the community to present their -answer, returned on the 30th, delighted with the gracious reception -he had met with, and with the Pontiff's flattering assurances. The -ceremony of swearing allegiance was out of delicacy postponed until -the 3rd of May, the day subsequent to his respected predecessor's -funeral. Summonses for both solemnities were issued to the various -communities in the following terms:-- - - "Right well-beloved, - - "On the second of the ensuing month will be celebrated the - obsequies of the illustrious Lord Duke, our father of happy - memory, for which it behoves you to send here in good time - as many as possible of your well-qualified fellow-citizens, - suitably dressed for the occasion. And to such of them - as you shall please to choose, you shall give a special - mandate for adhibiting the oath of fidelity to us in name - of your community, taking care that it be in regular form - as a public instrument. From Urbino, this 25th of April, - 1508. - - "FRANCISCUS MARIA DUX URBINI, ALMAE URBIS - PRAEFECTUS." - -The deputations willingly rendered the required homage, for they -considered this perpetuation of their independence as a boon doubly -grateful in the person of a sovereign representing their old and -loved dynasty, whose opening character promised no unworthy successor -to his esteemed uncle and father. During some days the Duke attended -to various demands and representations of the commissioners, and, by -well-timed favours to their different cities, quickly established -himself in the good graces of his new subjects. The Duchess Regent -proved a kind and prudent counsellor until he came of age, and long -continued her assistance in his affairs of state, residing at his -court while he had a home to share with her. The great discretion -and good feeling he now manifested towards her, and the scrupulous -anxiety he testified to retain around him all Guidobaldo's tried -friends and servants, quickly ripened the popularity which his -fortunate position had sown, and which eventually enabled him -to recover and maintain his sovereignty in circumstances nearly -desperate. - -[Illustration: _Anderson_ - -DETAIL OF THE URBINO VENUS - -_Supposed portrait of Duchess Leonora, from the picture by Titian in -the Uffizi Gallery, Florence_] - -The restless spirit of Julius fretted against the resistance still -offered by the Venetians to his incorporating with the papal states -those places in Romagna which they had seized, upon the fall of -Valentino, nor would he accept the compromise which they proposed, -of surrendering Rimini, on receiving from him a formal investiture -of Faenza. They were also suspected of irritating by their intrigues -the feverish state of that district, and of undermining the -preponderating influence which it was his policy there to establish. -On pretext of crowning Maximilian, whose title to the imperial -dignity had not been completed by that formality, the Pontiff invited -him to march into Italy, and support his views. The Emperor, in -accepting the proposal, demanded free passage through the Venetian -territories, with a threat of forcing his way, if obstructed. -Assured of support from their ally of France, the Signory offered -compliance, on condition of his going unarmed: but, spurning such -terms, he, in February, moved with an army upon the valley of Trent. -He was, however, effectually held in check by the Venetian generals, -Nicolo da Petigliano and Bartolomeo d'Alviano; whilst Louis, besides -sending Gian Giacomo Trivulzio to their support, instigated the Duke -of Gueldres to carry fire and sword into Lower Germany. Maximilian, -finding his hands full, made a hasty truce with the Venetians in -May, and turned to punish Gueldres. The Venetian and French armies -being thereupon disbanded, the moment seemed to Julius favourable -for renewing his designs upon Romagna, and in the following November -he sent the Cardinal of Sta. Croce to take part in negotiations, -which had been opened at Cambray, for reconciliation of the Emperor -and the French monarch. Maximilian readily lent himself to any -measures calculated to efface his recent disgrace in the Alpine -valleys, and to recover some places in Friuli which had remained -in the enemy's hands; Louis was induced to accede, in order to -wrest from Venice such portions of the old Visconti duchy as owned -her sway; and Ferdinand joined the coalition in hopes of regaining -several Neapolitan sea-ports, over which the Lion of St. Mark still -waved in security of certain advances by the Republic for the wars -of Lower Italy. Out of these elements there was concluded, on the -10th of December, a famous treaty, which denounced the Venetians as -ambitious perturbators of Italy and all Christian lands, and declared -war against them as the common enemies of the allies, who pledged -themselves to take the field before April, for recovery of Ravenna, -Cervia, Rimini, and Faenza to the Holy See, and of the territories -respectively claimed by the other contracting powers in Austria, -Lombardy, and Calabria. A subsidiary article took Francesco Maria -under their special protection, and guaranteed his states; whilst -by another the Duke of Ferrara was left free to become a party, on -payment to the Emperor of a sum of money in dispute between them. -Such was the notable League of Cambray, misnamed holy, on the vague -pretext that the maritime Republic, by retaining Ravenna and Cervia, -impeded the pacification of Christendom, and a general armament -against the Turks. Not only was it an innovation upon the established -custom of pitting the German and French interests against each -other, and settling their differences on the blood-stained plains -of Lombardy, but, as the first great coalition of European powers -for one common political object, it may be regarded as founding the -modern system of diplomacy. - -Yet, though this formidable confederation was the child of his -own brain, matured by the address of his legate, Julius shrank -before the Promethean monster, and paused ere he animated it by his -ratification. Well might it startle him to find that his labours -for the ulterior emancipation of Italy from foreign yoke were -about to divide one of her finest states among her most formidable -ultramontane foes. Had Duke Guidobaldo been spared a little longer, -his cool head and pacific disposition, as well as his friendship for -the Signory and his influence with the Pope, might have counteracted -the unnatural combination; but the die was cast, and the Pontiff had -only to await the course of events for an opportunity of undoing his -present work.[*235] - -[Footnote *235: The league of Cambrai is one of the great crimes of -history. The man who devised it and urged it upon Europe was the -head of European Christianity, Pope Julius II. Beside this, the -sensualities and murders of the Borgia go for nothing. His policy, -created by hate, succeeded in so far as it established the States of -the Church and murdered Italy. Yet looking back now, we may judge -of the price that has been required of the Church for that treason. -Beggared of her possessions, at the mercy of the new Italian kingdom, -he who sits in the seat of Julius is a prisoner in the Vatican--the -prisoner of history.] - -Unable to hold a military command, which would have better suited -his talents and tastes than the duties of Christ's vicegerent upon -earth, Julius gratified his family predilections by appointing his -nephew Francesco Maria to be captain-general of the ecclesiastical -troops. His investiture took place in the church of S. Petronio, at -Bologna, on the 4th of October, 1508, when he received the pontifical -baton from the Cardinal of Pavia, a prelate whose destiny we shall -find, ere long, fatally bound up in his own. But the time for active -service not being yet arrived, he contented himself with a review -of the forces thus placed under his charge. Being considered equal -to such a command, it is not surprising he should think it time to -celebrate his long-projected nuptials.[*236] On the 5th of November, -Julius wrote to the Duchess Elisabetta, to send a _lettiga_ or -litter, with three horses, in order to bring his bride on a visit to -Urbino, where the ceremony took place on Christmas Eve, 1508.[*237] -The letters, addressed to Federigo Fregoso by Bembo, who arrived on -the 19th, unveil some proofs of the bridegroom's felicity which it -were more decorous to pass over; but its revelations throw light -upon the contrasted feelings of the still mourning court. "Our -reception was truly chilling: no joy or hilarity in the palace; even -in the city its wonted aspect; our happy youth himself quite frigid; -but there is hope that he will become more ardent...." Writing a -week after the marriage, he says that as soon as it was over, the -Duke manifested the most unbounded affection, which became daily -more passionate; and declares that he had never met with a more -comely, merry, or sweet girl, who, to a most amiable disposition, -added a surprisingly precocious judgment, which gained for her -general admiration.[238] This event was hailed at Urbino with great -public rejoicings and sumptuous fetes, and the triumphal arches, -theatres, and other architectural and pictorial works required for -the occasion, were executed under the direction of Timoteo Vite and -Girolamo Genga. In 1843 I saw, in the hands of Padre Cellani, at -the Augustine convent in Pesaro, an interesting memorial of this -marriage. It is a small MS. psalter, with a frontispiece illuminated -in the manner of the Veronese limners, representing Nathan rebuking -David, whose crown and sceptre are fallen to the ground--a singular -theme for a bridal present, which, from the legend "LIONOR GOZAGA -URBINI DUCISSA," with the impaled arms of the two families, -it may have been. The Lady Leonora was about his own age, and, -although neither her beauty nor accomplishments have met with the -same celebration as those of her aunt the Duchess Elisabetta, we -shall have ample opportunity of observing in her character much -energy and good sense, with undeviating affection to her husband; -whilst the pencil of Titian has preserved to us a person which in a -sovereign must have been lauded as handsome. - -[Footnote *236: On the 25th of August, Francesco Maria had paid a -visit to Mantua to see his betrothed. "Come," said Leonora's uncle -to him, "and when you have seen Madonna Leonora and the Marchese's -horses you will have seen the two finest things in the world." -Francesco Maria spent two days there travelling incognito with but -four persons. Cf. JULIA CARTWRIGHT, _op. cit._, vol. I., p. -310. An amusing letter from Federico Cattaneo to Isabella d'Este, who -was absent, describes the meeting of Francesco Maria and his future -bride. Leonora was fourteen, and they were married at Christmas.] - -[Footnote *237: Cf. LUZIO E RENIER, _op. cit._; p. 195, for -the entry of the Duchess into Urbino.] - -[Footnote 238: It is difficult to reconcile with these details of an -eye-witness the statement of Leoni, followed by Riposati and others, -that the marriage was privately performed at Mantua in February, -1509. In May of that year the Duke was unanimously chosen a Knight -of the Garter at a chapter of that order, but for reasons which it -is now too late to investigate, the nomination was not confirmed by -Henry VIII. At next election he had but one vote out of ten, and his -name does not again occur in the record preserved by Anstis.] - -[Illustration: _Franz Hanfstaengl_ - -THE GIRL IN THE FUR-CLOAK - -_Possibly a portrait of Duchess Leonora of Urbino. After the picture -by Titian in the Imperial Gallery, Vienna_] - -From his honeymoon happiness the boy-bridegroom was speedily summoned -to the field. After issuing a preparatory apostolic admonition to -the Signory, on the 27th of April, 1509, Julius ordered his nephew -to assume offensive operations against Romagna, supported by the -Baglioni, Vitelli, and other vassals of the Church. The Duke was -already on foot, and after some skirmishes before Rimini, he attacked -Brisghella on the 4th of May; the place speedily surrendering, he -occupied himself in saving its inhabitants, so far as possible, -from the miseries of a sack, which Muratori denounces as worthy of -the Turks, and which Roscoe unwarrantably imputes to him as an act -of wanton cruelty. Following up this success, he, with youthful -enthusiasm, adopted various expedients for harassing the enemy, but -obtained still more credit for the judgment displayed in a singular -dilemma, which might have disconcerted a more experienced commander. - -There existed between some bands of Spanish and Italian soldiery -in his camp, various heart-burnings ready to kindle at a spark. -Ramocciotto, an Italian captain, having been sent upon secret duty, -as evening approached his men were seized with a vague impression -that he had met with foul play from the Spaniards. Just then, during -a wrangle among some camp-followers about a baggage-mule, one of them -called out in stentorian voice, "_Taglia! taglia!_" meaning that -the packing-cords should be cut. These words, which rang through -the stilly air, were mistaken for "_Italia! Italia!_" and were -caught up by the feverish followers of Ramocciotto as a watchword, -which they loudly echoed, and rushed to arms. Their cry and action -were repeated by most of the troops, who had just finished their -evening meal, and in a moment the camp was a scene of inexplicable -confusion, the fury of some and the consternation of others combining -to produce a general panic. Francesco Maria and his officers were -taken by surprise, but with great presence of mind he ordered an -advance upon Faenza as the readiest means of restoring order. The -gloom of twilight now settled down upon the camp, augmenting the -embarrassment, and ere the troops evacuated it, a good many Spaniards -had been cut down in the _melee_. Military discipline at length -prevailed, and the Duke, finding the town on its guard, returned to -quarters. Ramocciotto's reappearance appeased the originators of the -tumult, but it was not till next day that a stern inquiry detected -its casual origin. Thus did the promptitude and prudence of the -juvenile general save his character from compromise, and his little -army from disaster.[239] - -[Footnote 239: Vat. Urb. MSS. No. 489. This is but a fragment of the -life of Francesco Maria by Urbano Urbani, who was his secretary at -this time. Our account of the League of Cambray has been taken from -it, collated with many published authorities. Urbani's full work, -which I have not discovered, has been largely drawn upon by Leoni, -Baldi, and other biographers.] - -The ecclesiastical army consisted of eight thousand infantry and -one thousand six hundred horse, a force by no means adequate for -the service it was called upon to perform. The Pontiff, with fatal -partiality, had entrusted the entire control of the commissariat and -stores for the campaign to the Cardinal of Pavia, of whom the remark -passed into a proverb, that whoever would make up a jerkin of every -colour should employ the words and actions of the Legate of Bologna. -Francesco Alidosio was second son of the Lord of Castel del Rio, an -inconsiderable mountain fief adjoining the state of Imola, which -latter, after being long held in sovereignty by his family, had been -bought or wrested from his grandfather by Sixtus IV. and the Sforza. -Having been educated for the Church, he attached himself on the death -of that Pontiff to Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, whose entire -favour and confidence he won, not only by long personal service, -but by firmly withstanding various offers made him by the Borgia to -dispose of his master by poison. As soon as his patron was placed -in the chair of St. Peter, his services were rewarded by a scarlet -hat, followed by the see of Pavia, the rich office of Datario, and -other valuable preferments. But his character had been regarded as so -questionable, in the scandalous pontificate of Alexander, that many -objections were raised in the consistory to his promotion, and even -the silver-tongued Jovius attributes his rapid advancement to the -advantages of a fine person and an unscrupulous pliancy of principle. -The influence he had obtained over the open-hearted Julius was -maintained by his facility in accommodating himself to the outbreaks -of his patron's impetuous temper; and it entirely blinded the Pope to -the danger of reposing implicit confidence in such a counsellor. But -the Cardinal, not satisfied to share these favours with another, did -all in his power to obtain an undivided mastery over his affections, -and especially to supplant his nephew in his regards. The means which -he adopted to effect this were, as we shall soon see, to thwart all -the Duke's plans, and throw upon him the blame of their failure. But -the mainspring of his hopes and intrigues was the restoration of -Imola to himself or his brother; and as the policy of Julius rendered -him deaf to such a request, even from a favourite, the latter -scrupled not to purchase his object from the French, by betraying to -them those interests with which as legate of Bologna he was entrusted. - -Francesco Maria accordingly found his movements hampered at every -turn by the scarcity of supplies, and, in answer to unceasing -remonstrances, had from the Legate abundance of fair words and -sounding promises leading to no result whatever. This was the more -provoking, as sound policy required a speedy conclusion to operations -carried on in a province that, though in hostile hands for the time, -was eventually destined to remain under the papal sway, towards which -it was therefore of importance to conciliate the population, rather -than to oppress them by military exactions. Notwithstanding these -difficulties, the Duke reduced the castles of Granaruolo and Roscio, -Faenza surrendered, and the siege of Ravenna seemed approaching a -favourable conclusion, when the Venetians, panic-stricken by the -French successes in Lombardy, and especially by the rout they had -sustained on the 14th of May, at Vaila in the Ghiaradadda, sued for -peace. They hoped, by offering to the Pope, the Emperor, and the -Spaniard, all the places occupied on their respective territories, -to conciliate these powers, and so be enabled to maintain themselves -against French aggression. Their envoy addressed himself to arrange -with the Legate a suspension of arms, whilst he should forward to the -Pope a formal renunciation of the disputed towns in Romagna; but the -wily Cardinal, who, whether from inherent dishonesty, or with some -selfish end in view, seems to have acted with invariable bad faith, -urged him to resign these places directly into his own hands, and, -when the agent persisted in adhering to his instructions, he was -thrown into irons and threatened with a halter. Nor was this the only -manifest instance of the Legate's treachery; for besides thwarting -the Duke on every occasion, and keeping him in the dark as to most -important arrangements, he sent some of his own adherents to attack -and pillage the garrison of Faenza, as it quitted the city upon a -capitulation accorded by himself. Francesco Maria, disgusted with -his duplicity, of his own authority liberated the envoy, and so was -brought into angry collision with the Cardinal, thus aggravating a -quarrel ere long to end in blood. - -[Illustration: _Brogi_ - -DUCHESS OF URBINO, EITHER ELEONORA OR GIULIA VARANA - -_After the picture by Titian in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence_] - -The difficulties of the youthful commander were increased by the -inopportune arrival of four thousand Swiss mercenaries, who, finding -matters in train for a pacification which would dash their hopes of -booty, could scarcely be restrained from an immediate assault upon -Ravenna. Their ruffianly intentions being insidiously encouraged by -the Legate, it was only by great prudence and decision that the Duke -prevented them from sacking that city, when evacuated on honourable -terms by the Venetian authorities. This conciliatory policy was -rewarded by a speedy surrender of Cervia, followed on the 11th of -June by that of Rimini, the last of the towns claimed by Julius, -upon which Francesco Maria lost no time in disbanding his army and -returning home. As soon as he was gone, the Cardinal, steady only to -his duplicity, imprisoned the Venetian officers who had imprudently -lingered within his reach. Although this campaign lasted but six -weeks, and produced no considerable engagement, it afforded to the -young Duke an insight into mankind, as well as a lesson in military -affairs, which enabled him to pass at once from boyhood to the -experience, as well as the reputation, of an able commander. - -As soon as Francesco Maria was liberated from camp duties, he sent -to Mantua for his bride, and at his uncle's desire carried her to -visit Rome. The Roman citizens, ever devoted to festivity, received -him with distinction, due not less to his personal merit than to -his high rank and near relationship to the Pope. Among the pageants -exhibited in honour of his marriage were tilting in the Piazza -Navona, and a masque celebrating his successes in Romagna, after the -manner of those triumphs which that capital used to witness some -fifteen centuries before. He carried Giuliano de' Medici with him to -the papal court, and effected his reconciliation with Julius, who, -suspecting him of some intrigues at Bologna, had given orders for his -imprisonment; thus swelling that debt of the Medici to his family, -which Leo X. subsequently and most ungratefully expunged. - -The Duke also used his influence for removal of the interdict from -Venice, the tried ally of his house; and this the Pontiff more -readily granted, having now gained all he hoped from the compact of -Cambray, and being ready for any new coalition that might tend either -to aggrandise the Holy See or to liberate Italy from foreign yoke. -He therefore cared not for the remonstrances of his late coadjutors -against his abrupt secession from their common policy; and, aware -how little signified Maximilian's languid operations, he only sought -an apology for putting himself in direct opposition to the French, -whose successes in Lombardy were assuming a serious aspect. This was -soon afforded by the hollow counsels of the Cardinal of Pavia, whom -he had despatched to the camp of Louis on pretence of congratulating -him upon his victory at Vaila, but in fact to watch his intentions. -In this monarch the Legate found one as ambitious as his master, and -not more scrupulous than himself; he therefore with characteristic -treason encouraged the projects he had shrewdly penetrated, -stipulating in return for the sovereignty of Imola, as soon as -Louis should, by his secret aid, add Bologna and Romagna to his -Milanese possessions. As an underplot in this drama of ingratitude -and treachery, the Cardinal of Rouen proposed that Julius should be -deposed by a general council, with a view to securing for himself the -tiara. Such at least were the ends which the French King soon after -openly pursued; and those historians who seek to establish a case -against the Cardinal of Pavia, explanatory of his subsequent conduct, -charge him with thus early selling himself to Louis, and betraying -his partial and confiding patron the Pope. - -The Legate, therefore, on his return to Rome, warmly seconded the -Pontiff's views. A rupture with France was the preliminary move in -the game he had arranged with Louis, and his zeal in promoting it -seemed the surest disguise of his ulterior designs. Florence and -Ferrara were bound to the French interests, while Venice was their -determined foe; so it only remained for the Pope to join stakes with -the Signory, and the party was made up. His intrigues to secure the -support of Spain, Austria, and England, and to retain the Swiss in -his service, do not require our particular notice. - -Unwarned by recent events in Romagna, and blinded by affection for -his nephew, and for the Cardinal of Pavia, to the character of the -latter, and to the insuperable antipathy which had grown up between -them, the Pope, unfortunately, again delegated to them the joint -conduct of the war. The first advance was made against Ferrara, -with the view, doubtless, of restoring the Polesine to Venice, and -extending the temporal sway of the Keys to the banks of the Po. -Francesco Maria, who, after wintering in Rome, had returned home -with his Duchess in May, entered the Ferrarese ere July was over, -at the head of six thousand infantry, and one thousand five hundred -horse, and quickly became master of a great part of that duchy. But -this army was unequal to operations against the city of Ferrara, -strong in its surrounding marshes; and an expected contingent of -ten thousand Swiss were intercepted by Chaumont, the French general -(called Ciamonte by Guicciardini,) and sent back to their mountains -by the combined means of force and gold. The naval armament against -Genoa, then in the hands of Louis, proving also a failure, and the -Cardinal Legate conducting his department as unsatisfactorily as -before, the Duke of Urbino heard with joy that the Pontiff was on -his way to the scene of operations. On the 15th of September he -passed through Pesaro, leaving the Apostolic benediction, and various -indulgences, in acknowledgment of his enthusiastic reception. When -he reached Bologna, he found Modena, which had lately surrendered to -his army, threatened by Chaumont in person, and a strong feeling -abroad among the ecclesiastical officers, that they had been deluded -by the Legate, who prevented them from clenching their success by the -capture of Reggio, and had wiled them to a fruitless demonstration -before Ferrara, thereby not only wasting precious time, but exposing -the army to great hazard, and leaving Modena and Bologna uncovered. -The Pope immediately directed his nephew to send the Cardinal, under -arrest, to Bologna, which he did, with every mark of consideration; -but the extraordinary influence which that sneaking spirit exercised -over the frank and open-hearted Julius, diverted his suspicions, and -was rewarded with new favours. - -The unpromising aspect of his affairs, which brought the Pontiff in -person to Bologna, did not improve. Disappointed of the assistance -he looked for from Switzerland and Naples, feebly supported by his -allies of Venice and Mantua, his troops were reduced to a defensive -position, fatal to the prestige which had attended their first -successes. Encouraged by this state of matters, and by the approach -of Chaumont's powerful army, the friends of the exiled Bentivoglii -began to agitate for their restoration to the sovereignty of Bologna. -Nor were these the worst mortifications awaiting the proud spirit -of Julius. The clergy of France had met at Lyons, and decided upon -convoking a general council at Pisa, to sit in judgment upon his -conduct, a movement already openly supported by Louis, the Emperor, -and Florence, and by five members of the Sacred College. These -anxieties fretted his fractious temperament into an illness, so -serious at his advanced age, as to threaten a fatal termination; -and in the prospect of thus losing the mainspring of the war, his -confederates were little inclined to compromise themselves by fresh -exertions. His courtiers, too, alarmed at the prospect of clinging to -a falling cause, beset him with persuasions to obtain a truce on any -terms. But they mistook the character with whom they had to deal. -In deference to their representations, he opened a negotiation with -the French general, wherein, far from assuming a suppliant air, he -prescribed as a preliminary stipulation, the sacrifice of the Duke of -Ferrara to his vengeance, as a rebellious vassal. Thus passing - - "Out of the speech of peace that bears such grace - Into the harsh and boisterous tongue of war," - -he sent a summary threat to his Venetian allies, and to the Marquis -of Mantua, that unless their promised contingents instantly marched -to his support, he would arrange matters with the French King for -their extermination. - -The moral influence of this indomitable courage retrieved his -affairs. The Venetian, Mantuan, and Neapolitan succours successfully -and quickly arrived; many small free companies flocked to his -standard; and the Bolognese factions postponed their movement till a -fitter moment. Breaking off all negotiations, he thundered censures -against Chaumont and the Duke of Ferrara, and ordered his now ample -army to assume offensive operations. His physical energy was at the -same time restored, and the threatened eclipse proved but a passing -cloud, from which his indomitable genius burst forth with renewed -brilliancy. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII - - The Duke routed at Bologna from the Cardinal of Pavia's - treason, whom he assassinates--He is prosecuted, but - finally absolved and reconciled to the Pope--He reduces - Bologna--Is invested with Pesaro--Death of Julius II. - - -In December the Duke of Urbino returned the challenge to a general -engagement, which Chaumont had boastfully given him a few months -before, and, after carrying some places of minor importance, encamped -before Mirandola. To the surprise and no small scandal of all, the -Pontiff, scarcely recovered from a dangerous malady, and braving -the unusual rigours of the season, repaired to head-quarters. In -reply to representations of his advisers against a step hazardous -to his health, and unusual, if not unbecoming, in the head of the -Christian Church, he urged the necessity of vigorously, and at any -personal risks, meeting the disgraceful and schismatic proposal for -a council at Pisa,[*240] by proving himself both able and willing to -perform the duties of his high office, in wielding its temporal and -spiritual arms against all enemies and perturbators of the Church, -as well as in maintaining its doctrines, and supporting its friends. -This ill-judged decision is said to have been strongly prompted by -his evil genius the Cardinal of Pavia, who, speculating upon the -chance of its cutting short his master's life, made sure of, at all -events, turning to the advantage of his French friends the command -at Bologna, which upon the Pope's departure would once more devolve -upon him as legate. Guicciardini further charges him with promoting -the bootless demonstration against Mirandola, in order to divert the -army from Ferrara, whose inadequate defences might have rendered it -an easy as well as important conquest. In the first days of the year, -Julius reached the camp, attended by three cardinals, and took up -his quarters in a cottage exposed to the fire of the walls. It is -stated in an old chronicle, that a cannon ball having fallen close -to his pavilion, the enraged Pontiff ordered it to be sent to Loreto -as an _ex voto_ offering, and threatened to deliver over the place -to a sack. Severe cold and deep snow in nowise daunted him, and his -presence alarming the garrison, whilst the besiegers were stimulated -to exertion by his persuasions, the town was soon reduced, but, by -extraordinary exertions on the part of Francesco Maria, was saved -from pillage.[*241] Its garrison had been commanded by a natural -daughter of Gian Giacomo Trivulzio,[*242] who, on being rudely asked -by the Legate, in presence of Julius, if she were the woman who would -hold the place against the Pontiff, replied, "Against you I could -easily have defended it, but not against him." - -[Footnote *240: Little is known of the steps which led to the Council -of Pisa. See some interesting letters printed in CREIGHTON, -_op. cit._, vol. V., p. 329 _et seq._] - -[Footnote *241: Cf. SANUTO, _Diario_, vol. XI., p. 721 _et -seq._ It was the Pope who threatened pillage. CREIGHTON, -_op. cit._, vol. V., p. 143.] - -[Footnote *242: She was the widow of the Count Ludovico of Mirandola.] - -Julius, satisfied with this success, retired to Ravenna: whilst his -nephew, who about this time was warned by the Doge of Venice of a -plan concerted by the Cardinal of Rouen for poisoning him, led the -army towards Ferrara. As the best means of relieving that town, -and perhaps in concert with the treacherous Legate, Trivulzio, who -since Chaumont's death, commanded the French troops, amounting to -fifteen thousand lances, and seven thousand infantry, now marched -upon Bologna, avoiding a battle, which the Duke of Urbino would -gladly have hazarded. The latter, however, by forced marches arrived -there before him, and encamped at Casalecchio, three miles south -of the city. The French army was by this time at Ponte Laino, about -five miles north-west from the gate; and the Duke lost no time in -advising the Legate of the position of affairs, offering to throw two -or three thousand men and some artillery into Bologna. After losing -much valuable time in consultation with some of the citizens, the -Cardinal declined these as unnecessary. This answer appears to have -converted into certainty the suspicions which Francesco Maria had -long entertained of his coadjutor's good faith. He knew the garrison, -consisting of about twelve hundred troops, to be utterly inadequate -to resist the French; he was also aware that the exiled Bentivoglii, -then hovering about at the head of a strong band of adherents, were -eagerly looked for by their numerous partisans within the walls, to -whom the Cardinal had rendered his ecclesiastical authority doubly -odious, by a series of oppressive measures totally inconsistent with -its usual mild sway, and intended, no doubt, to promote his own -treasonable ends, by alienating the inhabitants from the established -order of things. Strongly impressed with the urgency of the crisis, -the young Duke persisted in his intention of reinforcing the -garrison, but some older officers, persuaded by renewed assurances -from the Cardinal, overruled him in council, and their march was -postponed until morning,--a delay fatal to the cause, and pregnant -with complicated evils. - -So little was the Duke of Urbino satisfied with this resolution, -that he posted videttes under the walls, and spent the night in -reconnoitring with his staff. Midnight had just passed when a -confused murmur from the city attracted his attention. The word -_Chiesa!_ or church, seeming to prevail amid the din, he had hope -that the Legate's authority was maintained; but presently the -watchword being heard more distinctly, it proved to be _Sega! -Sega!_ signifying "The saw! the saw!" a badge and war-cry of the -Bentivoglii. After some time lost in painful suspense, it was -ascertained from the sentinels that the French and the Bentivoglii -were masters of the place. Aware of his critical situation, but -retaining his presence of mind, Francesco Maria gave instant orders -for a retreat, fixing a point of rendezvous five miles on the road -towards Romagna. Thither he marched his cavalry in perfect order, -by the level country, and was followed by the Venetian and other -infantry along the high ground. The latter, being set upon at once -by the enemy and the country people, fell into confusion, and, but -for the Duke's strenuous persuasions, and a successful charge which -he made with his cavalry upon their assailants, their officers -would have given way to a general panic, and the army must have -been annihilated. The coolness of their juvenile commander so far -reassured them that the retiring army encamped on the morrow between -Forli and Cesena, without much further loss than their artillery -and baggage.[243] The vast quantity of booty obtained for this -misconducted affair the nick-name of "donkey-day." - -[Footnote 243: So say the Urbino writers. Guicciardini characterises -the escape of the army as a panic-rout, in which the whole -camp-equipage and colours, including the ducal standard, fell into -the enemy's hands. Sanuto says that 200 men-at-arms were slain.] - -Bologna was lost on the night of the 21st of May, and, beyond all -question, it fell from the Legate's fool-hardiness or treason. The -catastrophe which followed it called forth a bitterness of feeling -fatal to impartial judgment, and the historians whom we have chiefly -followed were friendly to the Duke of Urbino, and consequently -prejudiced against the Cardinal.[244] Yet, after full allowance -for this circumstance, there seems no reasonable doubt that the -latter secretly favoured the French interests, and neutralised those -measures by which Francesco Maria would have saved the city. He -placed the gates in charge of noted partisans of the exiled family, -by whom they were opened after nightfall to receive the Bentivoglii, -followed by the main body of the French army. It was even alleged -that he had previously sent away his most valuable effects; at all -events, he wanted courage to share the success which had crowned -his treason, and, in real or pretended panic, escaped upon a mule, -disguised in a lay habit, and attended by only two followers. Nothing -could palliate his flight without an attempt to warn the Duke of his -danger, or to concert measures for the preservation of his army; and -his whole behaviour lays him open to the suspicion of an intention -to sacrifice both. Against such a combination of untoward events -the friends of the Church could not struggle, and the mass of the -Bolognese, smarting under recent oppression, welcomed their former -rulers with joy, and vented their insensate fury in smashing the -bronze statue of the Pope, which Michael Angelo had executed in the -short period of fifteen months, and which was afterwards cast into a -cannon bearing the Pontiff's name. - -[Footnote 244: Not only Leoni and Reposati, but the MSS. in the -Urbino library, which refer to these transactions, must be so -regarded. We have compared all of these, especially Baldi's life of -this Duke, and the defence of him against Guicciardini, which he -left prepared for the press in No. 906 of the Vat. Urb. MSS. No. 924 -contains the pleading of the younger Beroaldo in favour of the Duke, -when charged with the Cardinal of Pavia's murder. No. 1023, art. v., -and No. 819, fol. 335, the former by Monsignor Paolo Maria Bishop of -Cagli, the latter anonymous, have supplied us with some new facts. -Guicciardini, admitting in other passages the Legate's bad faith and -his antipathy to Francesco Maria, blames his deficiency of courage or -judgment in the Bologna affair, and lashes the aggravated vices of -his character. Roscoe has not here exercised his usual acumen.] - -From Castel del Rio, a petty fief which his family had retained -after losing the seigneury of Imola, the Cardinal on the 22nd sent -courier after courier to Julius at Ravenna, preoccupying his ears -with representations against his nephew, upon whose cowardice he cast -the whole blame of the recent disaster. The latter, having sought -an audience of the Pope, found him alike prepossessed against him, -and deaf to his self-justifications; indeed, his attempts to unmask -the traitor were denounced as suggestions of envy and malice, and -he was superseded in his command. A temper less forbearing might -well be incensed by this climax of injury, at the hands of one whose -bad faith and malignity had long rankled in his fiery bosom. To -see his uncle at once sacrificed and cajoled, to be himself made -the scapegoat, while the true criminal was trusted and honoured, -were trials beyond endurance, even apart from the taunt by which -they were aggravated. As he quitted the presence-chamber, towering -with just indignation, and accompanied by two officers and as many -orderlies, he unluckily met the Legate on his mule, attended by a -hundred light-horse. Regardless of his escort, the Duke rushed upon -him and plunged a poignard into his entrails, which passed through to -his saddle.[*245] The blow was repeated by the officers, his guard -attempting neither redress nor vengeance, and in a few minutes the -Cardinal had gone to his dread account, exclaiming repeatedly in -Latin, "From crime comes mischief." This deplorable event happened -on the 24th of May.[246] Its details are variously stated, and one -account says that the rencontre occurred ere the Duke had seen -his Holiness, while the Legate was returning from an audience; on -the whole, we have preferred that of Giraldi, whose uncle was an -eye-witness. - -[Footnote *245: The account of Paris de Granis (given by -CREIGHTON, _op. cit._, vol. V., pp. 305-19) somewhat differs -from that given here.] - -[Footnote 246: Several letters, quoted by Sanuto, MS. Diary, XII., -158-161, say the 23rd, being Saturday; but Saturday fell on the 24th. -See Filippo Giraldi, Vat. Ottob. MSS. No. 3153, f. 90.] - -Francesco Maria was quickly aware of the horror of this outrage, -and immediately after arranging matters in the camp, retired to his -state, to repent, it is hoped, as well as to abide its results.[247] -The sacrilegious nature of the offence might indeed be palliated -in the letter, by the lay dress which the Cardinal chanced to wear, -but his episcopal dignity and holy character as vicegerent of the -papal authority were notorious, and the blind partiality of Julius -seemed to have increased as his misconduct became more palpable. The -situation of that old man was indeed calculated to bend even his -stern nature. He had committed an enterprise of doubtful policy, and -against which a large portion of the Church was openly declared, -to his most trusted friend and to his favourite nephew. The design -had utterly miscarried; Bologna, acquired by him so happily, was -lost; a victorious enemy was within a few leagues of him; and his -friend had been murdered by his nephew, after mutual recriminations -of treachery. The attendant cardinals and prelates, jealous of a -more favoured brother, exulted in the deed while condemning its -manner; but their master is described by Paris de Grassis as giving -way to the most exaggerated demonstrations of excessive grief, -renouncing food and shutting himself out from converse. After hastily -authorising negotiations with Trivulzio, he set out for his capital -in a litter. At Rimini he was startled by a formal citation to appear -before the Council of Pisa, and passed through Pesaro on the 11th of -June. But on reaching Rome his spirit had rallied. On the 18th of -July he summoned a general council at the Lateran, and declared that -of Pisa schismatic and null; he thundered excommunications against -Louis, the Florentines, and all its adherents; he deprived the -cardinals who attended it; and declared war anew against France, as -an enemy of the Church and of Italy. About the same time he suspended -his nephew from all his dignities, and summoned him to answer at -Rome for the assassination of the Cardinal of Pavia. - -[Footnote 247: We obtain a curious glimpse of his home-circle at -this critical moment from the correspondence of Bembo, who, having -just quitted Urbino on his way to Venice, wrote thus to Fregoso from -Cesena, where he was waiting a passage by sea. "But what, I say, -are you and your ladies, and the Duke, and the rest of you grandees -about? What is my Ippolita doing? Is she entangled in the toils of -Secundio or Trivulzio? Oh dull and drivelling me, who, abandoning -my loves to the rapine and plunder of men of war, am here sitting -on a sandy shore more pluckless and besotted than the very shells! -Many salutations in my name to both their Highnesses, and to Emilia, -and the lively Margherita, and to Ippolita of many admirers, and to -my rival Alessandro Trivulzio." This badinage was surely ill-timed, -within a month of the defeat of Francesco Maria and the Cardinal's -assassination.] - -The accounts we have of the proceedings against the Duke of Urbino -upon this charge are somewhat contradictory. Baldi says that his -impetuous temper, ill-brooking the severity of one whom he was -conscious of having honestly served, tempted him to throw off his -uncle and seek an engagement under Louis; and the monitory issued -against him by Leo X. in 1516 charges him with employing Count -Castiglione on such a mission: but this foolish idea quickly passing, -he obeyed the citation. On his arrival, attended by Castiglione, he -was put under arrest, and obliged to give bail in 100,000 scudi to -await the sentence of a commission of enquiry, consisting of six -cardinals, one of whom was Giovanni de' Medici, afterwards Leo X. -The process was long and complicated, for the Duke had many proofs, -oral and documentary, to adduce of the Legate's secret intelligence -with the French and the Bentivoglii. The pleading in his defence, -by Filippo Beroaldo the younger, has already been referred to as in -the Vatican library, and is a very remarkable declamation. Instead -of urging the hot blood of one-and-twenty in extenuation of a -sudden outbreak of fury under strong provocation, it justifies the -assassination as merited by the Cardinal's notorious and nefarious -treasons. Representing his life and morals in the darkest colours, -it brands his boyhood as base; his puberty as passed in flagitious -intercourse with bawds and gamblers; his youth as debauched by -bribery, peculation and sacrilege; his mature age as degraded by -the sacrifice of friends, the plunder of provinces, the open sale -of sacred offices. It charges him with having had the throats cut -of four eminent citizens of Bologna, against whom no accusation was -brought, and leaving their bodies in the piazza; and further alleges -that, having heard of the beautiful daughter-in-law of one of these -victims, he sent for her to his presence, when his attendants, -alarmed by fearful cries, broke open the doors and discovered him -in the act of violating her person. After narrating his manifold -treacheries towards the Pontiff and the Duke, the advocate, far from -palliating the homicide, boasts of it as a public service, and, -declaring that Francesco Maria was an instrument in the Almighty's -hand for the great and benevolent purpose of ridding mankind of -such a monster, only laments, for the public weal, that the holy -inspiration which dictated it had not been sooner vouchsafed to this -"liberator of the commonwealth." Lowering his tone, however, towards -the close of this inflated oration, he appeals to the judges to spare -a hero whose promise of future usefulness was precious to Italy, -and in whose acquittal many princely personages were interested. -The fierce philippic of Beroaldo was reproduced under a poetic garb -in the satirical ode of Giovio, which Roscoe has printed. Neither -authority can be deemed unprejudiced, but public feeling seems to -have confirmed these invectives, and even Guicciardini attempts not -to answer for the Cardinal's good faith. - -Whilst this investigation was experiencing the law's delay, Julius -was attacked by a quartan ague of a dangerous character. With wonted -wilfulness, he refused all proper nourishment, eating only fruit, -until his constitution was nearly exhausted. A fainting fit having -occasioned rumours of his death, tumults arose, but were vigorously -suppressed by the Duke of Urbino, who by a happy device got the -Cardinal of S. Giorgio to carry him the viaticum. The apparition by -his bedside of the person supposed likely to succeed him at once -recalled his energies, and induced him to adopt the most likely means -of disappointing such expectations. He therefore no longer hesitated -to eat an egg, into which two yolks had been introduced by the Duke's -order, that he might take twice as much sustenance as he was aware -of; and from that hour his strength rallied. A deep-rooted affection -for his nephew, rekindled by this double service, prompted him to a -reconciliation, and in his first burst of gratitude he granted him -absolution for his crime, and sent him home with a donative of 12,000 -scudi. But as his Holiness had been induced to this reconciliation -by personal favour, and perhaps by at length perceiving the Legate's -faithlessness, Francesco Maria declined availing himself of such an -acquittal; and the process for murder, resumed at its own instance, -hung over him until, on the 9th of December, a consistorial bull -issued, fully absolving him of the charge. - - * * * * * - -But to return to the seat of war, whence this untoward incident -had removed the Duke of Urbino at a moment of peculiar interest. -The King of Spain having contributed a powerful contingent, the -new armament against Louis was placed under command of Raimondo -di Cardona, viceroy of Naples, with the Cardinal de' Medici as -legate. The Venetians, as before, were parties to this league, as -well as Henry VIII.; Florence, still in the hands of its republican -faction, and the now restored Bentivoglii, supported the French; -whilst Maximilian, though its nominal adherent, was as usual equally -inefficient in war or peace. Romagna again became the destined scene -of the new struggle, and there, as in Lombardy, its chances proved -adverse to Louis. The Duke of Urbino, apparently from an unworthy -jealousy, refused to act under the Viceroy's command, but he gave -free passage to the army on its route through his state, supplying it -with provisions, and permitting his troops to march under its banner. -He even repaired to Fossombrone, to testify respect and hospitality -to the general, but, suddenly taking alarm, and suspecting sinister -intentions, he withdrew to Urbino in a somewhat ungracious manner. -Light may be thrown upon these eccentric movements from the -correspondence of Castiglione, by which it would seem that Julius, -relapsing into suspicion, had about this time spoken of his nephew -as a traitor, who deserved to be quartered for maintaining, through -Count Baldassare, a secret understanding with France and Ferrara; -indeed, that he even diminished his company by sixty men-at-arms, -and threatened to place the Duc de Termes over his head. It is not -unlikely that, disgusted by this new insult, he may have intrigued -with the French party in a moment of weakness. At all events, -so deeply was the Pope mortified, that, in an access of renewed -irritation, he declared him rebel, and absolved his subjects from -their allegiance. Francesco Maria was consequently absent from the -bloody field of Ravenna, where his early friend the chivalrous Gaston -de Foix met a heroic but premature death. The French army which he -commanded paid dearly, by his loss and that of their best troops, -for a nominal victory which eventually proved a ruinous reverse. It -was gained by the Duke of Ferrara's well-timed charge, and of forty -thousand left dead in the field, above half had fought under the -lilies of France. Indeed, but for the Viceroy's disgraceful flight, -in a panic by some attributed to his suspicion of the Duke of Urbino, -it might have been considered a drawn battle. So great was his terror -that he passed through Pesaro with but two attendants, leaving his -Spaniards to regain the Neapolitan frontier as they might. - -This remarkable engagement took place on Easter Day, the 11th of -April, but four days after the Pontiff had issued the bull against -his nephew.[*248] Notwithstanding this fresh provocation, the latter -afforded every support to Cardona's troops, who, - - "Masterless, without a banner fled"; - -and, after placing his family out of harm's way, in S. Leo, hastened -to Rome to console the Pope. But his Holiness was in no melting or -wavering mood. With the brief remark, "At all events, I have united -our enemies," he quickly repaired the recent breach by recalling -the bull against Francesco Maria, and presented him with the baton -of command. The Duke, remedying past misunderstandings by new -exertions, hurried to Romagna to rally the broken battalions of the -league, and to raise fresh levies. Ere the French could recover -from the paralysing effects of their dearly bought success, he had -regained that country, and, on the 21st of June, took possession -of Bologna without a blow. Following up his advantage, he mastered -with equal ease Modena, Parma, and Piacenza; but Reggio offered a -resistance worthy of the heroic ages. It was held for the Duke of -Ferrara by Count Alessandro Ferrofino, who, having detected some of -his soldiers attempting to spike the guns, set them astride upon a -mortar, and blew them into the air, assuring the bystanders that -he most willingly would serve his Holiness in the same way. When -ecclesiastical censures were thundered against the garrison, he -made its chaplain return a pop-gun excommunication of the Pontiff. -After two months had passed in this bootless struggle, Alfonso sent -his countersign to the commandant as an authority to surrender; -but, aware that his master was then at Rome, in the Pope's power, -the Count returned it, vowing that he would not yield till hunger -had driven him to eat off his right hand; adding, however, that, if -his Highness had a fancy to give away the fortress, he was ready to -consign it, with all its contents, by inventory, to whoever might -be commissioned to relieve him of the command. This proposal was -complied with, and the indomitable captain marched out his little -garrison, with a safe conduct from the Pope whom he had defied.[249] - -[Footnote *248: The battle of Ravenna is fully described by -GUICCIARDINI, _Opere Inedite_ (Firenze, 1857), vol. VI., p. -36 _et seq._, in letters from his father and brother. The French had -everything in their hands, the route was complete. They should have -pressed on to Rome and Naples, and have reduced the Pope to terms and -annihilated the Spanish power in Italy. But Gaston was in his grave. -Cf. CREIGHTON, _op. cit._, vol. V., p. 168.] - -[Footnote 249: Giraldi Dialogo, Vat. Ottob. MSS. No. 3153.] - -The Emperor, ever ready to abandon a falling cause, withdrew his -contingent from the French service, and acknowledged the authority -of the Lateran council, which had been opened on the 3rd of May. The -Duke of Ferrara, too, thought it full time to make his peace with the -Pope; while Louis, thus abandoned, could no longer maintain a footing -in Italy, where but a few strongholds remained in his possession; and -Milan was restored to Maximiliano Sforza, son of Ludovico il Moro. -The overtures of Alfonso were, however, unavailing, being met in no -generous spirit by his ecclesiastical overlord. On proceeding to Rome -to plead his own cause, he was called upon to surrender his fief to -the Holy See, and was treated as a prisoner. By the energetic aid -of the Colonna chiefs, he escaped to his impenetrable swamps, and -hastened to accredit Ariosto as his minister to appease the Pontiff, -a mission which totally failed, the poet's silver tongue having -barely obtained grace for himself as envoy of a rebel. Francesco -Maria marched, by order of Julius, towards the Polesine, but malaria -prevailing there after recent inundations, fever ravaged his army, -and their leader averted the fate of his grandfather in these fens, -by a timely retreat to his mountain air. We are gravely told by -Giraldi that "the house of Ferrara mysteriously bears the name of -the Deity" [_Est_], an idea which their repeated escapes by similar -apparently special interpositions of Providence may have suggested. - -It was during the Ferrarese expedition, and avowedly at the Pope's -urgent desire, that the Medici were re-established at Florence by -the league. The Duke of Urbino's absence from that enterprise has -been accounted for by Guicciardini and Giovio, as the result of -personal feeling against the Cardinal Giovanni, and as contrary -to his uncle's instructions. This innuendo becomes important from -being the first symptom of misunderstanding between the dynasties of -Urbino and Florence, and as apparently the origin of Guicciardini's -prepossessions against Francesco Maria, which, adopted by subsequent -writers, especially by Roscoe and Sismondi, have led to very general -misrepresentations of his after policy and motives. The whole -intercourse of that Duke with the Medici, down to 1515, affords a -virtual contradiction of latent enmity at this juncture, and the -special charge in question is inconsistent with the facts stated by -Leoni, who avers that, had Francesco Maria not been then engaged in -operations against Ferrara, he would gladly have accompanied the -combined forces to Florence, and that he actually connived at their -carrying with them a portion of his artillery, contrary to private -instructions from his Holiness, who, when the moment for action -arrived, is alleged to have favoured the independence of Florence, -perhaps under some vague apprehension of eventual dangers from -Medicean ambition. - -Italy, now freed from ultramontane oppressors, saw Milan restored -to its native princes, and Florence again in the hands of her most -influential family. Thus far had the favourite aims of Julius been -attained; but, instead of hailing these events as the basis of a -general pacification befitting his advanced years, he fretted in the -recollection that Naples yet owned a foreign yoke, and that Louis was -still intent upon vindicating his title to a Cisalpine dominion. The -convulsive throes of a stranded leviathan were no unfit parallel to -the versatile efforts wherein the old man consumed his waning powers. -But, in the multifarious projects which agitated his yet elastic -mind, the interests of his again favourite nephew were not forgotten. -A brief of the 10th of January, 1513, granted to the latter plenary -remission for all his undutiful errors against the Church, as a -prelude to new favours, which must now be detailed.[250] - -[Footnote 250: The preceding account of the judicial process, and of -the Duke's conduct in regard to the campaign of Ravenna, has been -chiefly taken from Baldi, as his narrative is more intelligible -and consistent with the best historical authorities, than the -indistinct and garbled statements of Leoni and Riposati, who gloss -over such facts as they cannot satisfactorily clear up. Guicciardini -asserts that Francesco Maria set his peasantry upon the troops of -Cardona as they fled through the duchy from the rout of Ravenna, a -statement more reconcileable with that author's prejudice than with -probability. The legal evidence of both the Duke's absolutions will -be found in No. V. of the Appendix, and Giraldi is our authority for -some minor details. We have purposely avoided mixing up with this -personal narrative the more general events of the French war. They -are succinctly given by Roscoe, _Leo X._, ch. viii. and ix.] - -His uncle had entertained a scheme of purchasing for him the vague -rights over Siena which the Emperors had long, though ineffectually, -asserted; but a more hopeful expedient for his aggrandisement -opportunely presented itself. We have, in a former chapter, narrated -the circumstances under which Alessandro Sforza became invested -with Pesaro in 1445. His grandson Giovanni, the outraged husband -of Lucrezia Borgia, died in 1510, leaving, by his second marriage, -an only son Costanzo, about a year old. Galeazzo, natural brother -of Giovanni, who was himself of illegitimate birth, governed the -state, as tutor of this nephew, until the child's death, in August, -1512, and so entirely acquired the good will of the people, that -they proclaimed him their seigneur. The odious tyranny exercised by -all petty princes of Italy is a fertile theme for dreamy poets and -philosophising liberals; but, whilst the relative oppression was much -the same under all forms of government in the Peninsula, personal -safety was perhaps best maintained in those least exposed to internal -convulsion. From such shocks the minor sovereignties were more exempt -than the republics, and the residence of a court was beneficial as -well as flattering to the community; hence the fall of an hereditary -dynasty was, in almost every instance, lamented by its subjects. -These are not, indeed, necessarily the best judges of their own -welfare; yet their deliberate and repeated convictions, when free -from the influence of demagogues, and tested by impartial history, -can hardly be remote from truth. - -The investiture of Pesaro had legally lapsed by the young Costanzo's -death, and although, in many instances, the assumption of similar -rights by illegitimate claimants had been passively permitted by the -Church, Galeazzo would have gladly shrunk from a contest which the -avowed policy of the reigning Pope rendered inevitable and hopeless. -Tempted, however, by the unanimous support of the people, he assumed -on his own account the authority he till now had held in behalf of -his nephew. Julius instantly recalled the Duke of Urbino from Lugo, -to commence operations for the reduction of Pesaro, with Cardinal -Sigismondo Gonzaga as legate. After a brief resistance, Galeazzo -surrendered the citadel, on the 30th of October, by a capitulation -which insured him an annuity of 1000 scudi of gold, and the allodial -holdings of his family. These he conveyed to the Duke for 20,000 -ducats, including the Villa Imperiale, and on the 9th of November he -quitted Pesaro, attended by nearly the whole population, who bewailed -with bitter tears the extinction of a dynasty to whom they were -fondly attached. The melancholy procession accompanied their lord as -far as La Cattolica, from whence he retired to Milan, and there met a -violent death in the following year. - -The Cardinal Legate remained at Pesaro to administer the government -in behalf of the Holy See, and the Duke returned home. Julius had -already made one exception to his policy of bringing the minor fiefs -under direct sway of the Church, by renewing the investiture of -Urbino in favour of his nephew, and the opportunity was too tempting -for repeating a measure recommended by the ties of natural affection. -The unmerited suspicions and hasty severity which he had manifested -towards Francesco Maria seemed to warrant some consideration; there -was also an arrear of about 10,000 scudi of pay and advances, by -the late and present Dukes, in the wars of the Church, which her -exhausted treasury was unable to discharge, but for which it was -desirable to secure compensation ere the tiara should encircle a less -friendly brow.[251] Accordingly, one of the Pontiff's latest acts was -to gain the consent of the consistory of his nephew's investiture in -Pesaro, to be held in vicariat for the annual payment of a silver -vase, a pound in weight. The bull to this effect is dated the 16th -of February, 1513, and on the 21st his busy spirit was at rest. -Three weeks later, the Duke and Duchess of Urbino took possession of -Pesaro, and were flatteringly welcomed. Indeed, the people, finding -the fate of the Sforza sealed, appeared to have looked about for any -means of emancipation from ecclesiastical rule; and, ere Galeazzo had -quitted the capital, the council entertained a proposal to petition -the Sacred College in favour of Francesco Maria as his successor. -This step, whether suggested by Julius or not, greatly strengthened -his hands in carrying through the arrangement which he had at heart, -and it enabled the citizens to receive their new lord with peculiarly -good grace. - -[Footnote 251: Yet Julius was reported to have left in St. Angelo, -400,000 ducats of gold, besides jewels, and no state debts. Vat. Urb. -MSS., No. 1023, f. 297.] - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV - - Election of Leo X.--His ambitious projects--Birth of Prince - Guidobaldo of Urbino--The Pontiff's designs upon that - state, which he gives to his nephew--The Duke retires to - Mantua. - - -The Duke's influence, as head of the della Rovere family, was -paramount in the conclave, composed as it was of relations, friends, -and creatures of the late Pope in overwhelming majority. The election -was therefore to a great degree in his hands, and when it fell -upon the Cardinal de' Medici, he rejoiced in the elevation of a -personal friend. He and his brother Giuliano, their nephew Lorenzo, -and their cousin Giulio, afterwards Clement VII., had been welcome -guests at Urbino, during their family's long exile from Florence. -Indeed, we have noticed Giuliano as one of the most brilliant -ornaments of Guidobaldo's court, where he resided so long that the -apartment devoted to his use still bears his name in the palace. The -restoration of the Medici to supremacy in their native city had been -the doing of Julius; the choice of their cardinal as his successor -was the act of his nephew.[*252] Thus was the bond of friendship -confirmed by ties of gratitude. But from such fetters princes are -often prone to assume an exemption, and Francesco Maria was destined -to experience that they are not more binding upon pontiffs.[253] - -[Footnote *252: This is rather vague. We are not told what Francesco -Maria did that justifies Dennistoun in saying that the election of -Leo X. was his act. I can find no evidence of Francesco Maria's -personal influence in the conclave. If the election of Leo was an -arrangement, it was Cardinal Riario to whom it was due. The charge of -ingratitude therefore falls to the ground.] - -[Footnote 253: To inaugurate the new pontificate, and mark the -contrast of Alexander and Julius with their successor,--its Maecenas, -Agostino Chigi, erected a triumphal arch, inscribed,-- - - "Olim habuit Cypris sua tempora; tempora Mavors - Olim habuit; sua nunc tempora Pallas habet." - - Venus here reigned supreme, by Mars displaced; - Our happier age by Pallas' sway is graced. - -To this doggerel there quickly appeared the rejoinder,-- - - "Mars fuit, est Pallas, Cypria semper ero." - - Once Mars, Minerva now, but Venus still.] - -Leo X. has been one of the most fortunate of men. His all but -sovereign birth was still more distinguished by the merit of his -family, to which history has done the amplest justice. His natural -talents and tastes were not only of a high order, but were perfectly -adapted to the golden age in which he lived, and to the high career -for which he was destined. His rapid and premature advancement to -the first dignities of the Church stimulated instead of relaxing his -mental discipline. He obtained the triple tiara at the unprecedented -age of thirty-seven, and wore it during the brightest period of the -papacy. Though cut short in the flower of manhood, he lived long -enough to link his name with the most splendid era of modern history, -and although his measures accelerated the crisis of the Reformation, -he died ere their seed had borne that dreaded fruit. In fine, his -eventful life has been celebrated by at least one biographer worthy -of the theme. On the wide field which such a character opens we shall -have little opportunity to expatiate. Our narrative has to do with -its darker shadows, and to hold up this Pontiff as the implacable -foe of a dynasty which had singular claims upon his favour and -consideration. - -[Illustration: _Anderson_ - -LEO X - -_After the picture by Raphael in the Pitti Gallery, Florence_] - -The general estimate of Julius and of his successor has been shrewdly -conceived and tersely expressed by Sismondi. "The projects of the -former had prospered beyond the ordinary calculations of policy; -his impetuosity, by surprising his enemies and throwing all their -plans into confusion, had often availed him more than prudence -could have done; he had also extended the temporal possessions of -the Church beyond what any of his predecessors had effected. Yet he -had caused so many mischiefs, he had occasioned such vast bloodshed, -he had so swamped Italy with foreign armies, even while he pretended -to rid her of the barbarians, that his death was hailed as a public -blessing, and the cardinals responded to the feeling of Rome, Italy, -and all Christendom in desiring that his successor should in no -respect resemble him. As he had been old, restless, impatient, and -passionate, they sought to replace him with one less aged, and whose -tastes were for literature, pleasure, and epicurean indulgences.... -Leo was quite the opposite of his predecessor; his temperament -was far less stern, irascible, or unforgiving. Towards intimate -associates his manners were singularly cheerful and gracious. The -protection he extended to letters and arts, the favours which he -lavished upon savants, poets, and artists, drew from all Europe a -chorus of commendation. But, on the other hand, his character fell -very short of that of Julius in frankness and elevation; all his -negotiations were stained by deceit and perfidy. Whilst he talked -of peace he fanned the flame of war; no pity for the inhabitants of -Italy, crushed by barbarian hosts, ever influenced his conduct. His -ambition, nowise inferior to that of his predecessor, was not veiled, -even to himself, by motives equally respectable. His object was not -the independence of Italy, nor the aggrandisement of the Church, but -the advancement of his own family." - -The Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici, second son of Lorenzo the -Magnificent, was elected Pope on the 11th of March, 1513, and -was crowned on the 19th. The Duke of Urbino had repaired to Rome -to offer his congratulations in person, and attended the solemn -installation at the Lateran, with twenty-four mounted gentlemen -and as many footmen; but mingling regard for the dead with respect -for the living, he and all his suite appeared in black velvet and -satin, as mourning for his uncle. The device worn on the Pontiff's -liveries at this pageant, was in harmony with his previous character -and present professions: under a golden "yoke" was inscribed the -word _suave_, meaning something more winning than the scriptural -phrase "easy," from which it was borrowed. When two more years had -gone by, Francesco Maria was an outlaw, crushed under that gentle -yoke, and stripped of his all; whilst the Duke of Ferrara, the next -great feudatory of the Church who followed in the procession, could -scarcely maintain himself by French aid, until the death of his -pontifical oppressor enabled him to parody on his medals another -and more appropriate text, in memory of his escape, "Out of the -LION'S mouth." At this coronation there was witnessed an -unwonted spectacle, the fruit of Alexander's aggressions on the -Campagna barons. The humbled chiefs of Colonna and Orsini walked side -by side, and their reconciliation was commemorated by a rare medal, -on which the crowned column of Colonna is fondly hugged by the Orsini -bear, with the motto, "For their country's safety." Francesco Maria's -reception was as cordial as distinguished, for the promptings of -ambition had not yet transformed Leo's naturally bland and gracious -nature into unrelenting and bitter hate. He was accordingly confirmed -in his dignities, and retained for a year as Captain-General of the -Church, with 13,844 ducats of pay, besides 30,000 of allowances for -his company of two hundred men-at-arms, and a hundred light cavalry; -nor could words exceed the kindness of the letter in which Bembo -intimated this to him on behalf of the Pope.[254] - -[Footnote 254: Papal brieves of Aug. 4 and April 17, 1513, in -Archivio Diplomatico at Florence, and Bembo's public despatches, ii. -No. 8. Roscoe has no authority whatever for representing the Duke as -at this period the Pope's "formidable rival."] - -When the coronation fetes were over, he returned home to enjoy one of -those brief intervals of repose which rarely fell to his lot. His -almost continual absence on military service had indeed been greatly -felt in his capital, and most of the distinguished men who frequented -it under Duke Guidobaldo were now dispersed. Some of them, however, -had continued towards his nephew their friendship and services, -either under his own banner or in diplomacy. Among these was -Baldassare Castiglione, to whose good offices the reconciliation of -Francesco Maria with Julius has been partly attributed. In the affair -of the Cardinal of Pavia, the Count warmly espoused his part, and -invented for him, as a deprecatory device, a lion rampant proper on -a field gules, holding a rapier, and a scroll inscribed, _Non deest -generoso in pectore virtus_, "Worth is never wanting in a generous -breast"; but this emblem was seldom used, being odious to the college -of cardinals, as approving a sacrilegious precedent. Castiglione's -elegant endowments were especially qualified to gain him the ear of -a prince whose pride it was to emulate his predecessors, as much -in the grace of their court as in the fame of their arms; and the -preference for so small a state shown by him whom monarchs would -have delighted to honour, was fit subject for gratitude, independent -of the real services which the Duke derived from the friendship of -one so well versed in business. It is stated, although on doubtful -authority, that he went upon a mission from Urbino, to urge on Henry -VIII. a descent upon Calais,[*255] in the hope of such a diversion -recalling Louis from Italy. If so, it was probably in arranging the -treaty of Malines on the 5th of April of this year. In the prospect -of adding Pesaro to his dominions, Francesco Maria had promised to -Castiglione a fief in his dependencies, and in September, 1513, a -charter was granted to him of Novillara, erected into a countship. -The letter of donation specially mentions the faithful, sincere, -and acceptable services of Baldassare; his elegance in the Latin -and Italian languages; his skill in military and civil affairs; -and confers upon him this favour rather in earnest of future and -more ample benefits, than as a reward of the fatigues, perils, and -anxieties which he had already undergone for the Duke.[*256] Of this -grant he received a willing confirmation from Leo X., to whom, on his -elevation, he had borne Francesco Maria's first congratulations. The -brief to this effect dwells on the peculiar satisfaction with which -the Pope thus testified, from long acquaintance, his high merits, his -distinguished birth, his literary acquirements, his military fame, -and his exemplary devotion to the Holy See. - -[Footnote *255: Henry landed at Calais August 1st, 1513; it was -then in English hands, as it remained till Mary Tudor lost it -in 1558. From Calais Henry advanced to the siege of Terouenne. -Castiglione was, of course, in London in 1506 to receive the Garter -for Guidobaldo from Henry VII.; a second journey seems apocryphal. -On Castiglione at Urbino and elsewhere, cf. LUZIO e RENIER, _Mantova e -Urbino_ (Torino, 1893), pp. 174, 234, 242 _et seq._] - -[Footnote *256: Yet he seems to have suffered in the war. His long -residence at Urbino may well have been due to the Duchess, who loved -him sincerely.] - -The estate thus associated with Castiglione is generally said to owe -its name to its "noble air"; and certainly upon the Italian principle -that a healthful atmosphere must be sought in high places, that of -Novillara ought to possess unusual virtues. But the learned Olivieri -has corrected this vulgar error, and has derived its denomination -from the Latin _nubilare_, which he renders as an open shed for the -housing of grain,--a grange, as it might be called. He has traced -it back to the twelfth century, and to the fourteenth ascribes -an imposing tower of three commodious stories built here by the -Malatesta. Hither was conducted, on her first arrival, Camilla of -Aragon, bride of Costanzo Sforza Lord of Pesaro; and its inaccessible -situation did not prevent a splendid manifestation of the general -joy, in fetes and pageants, commemorated in a volume of excessive -rarity, which seem more proportioned to the affectionate gallantry of -her husband and subjects, than to the resources of their state, or to -the conveniences of this palace. Representations of the community -of Pesaro induced Francesco Maria to obtain from Castiglione a -restitution to them of this Castle, in 1522, under promise of -replacing it by an equivalent, which was never redeemed. Years passed -away, notwithstanding repeated remonstrances on the part of Camillo, -son of the Count, in which he even induced the Emperor to join. At -length, in 1573, Guidobaldo II. conferred a tardy compensation, by -granting to Count Camillo the Castel del Isola del Piano. This Duke -had previously built an addition to the palace of Novillara, with -elaborate decorations never completed. At his son's marriage with -Lucretia d'Este, this fief, then worth 500 scudi a year, was settled -upon her, but rarely occupied. It subsequently caught the young -prince Federigo's fancy, who had planned for its beautiful gardens -and frescoes, when untimely death cut short his schemes, and brought -the nationality of Urbino and Pesaro to a close. - -In the present day Novillara consists of about a hundred houses, -huddled together, threaded by narrow alleys, and walled in by -terraces. It overlooks Pesaro and Fano, the valleys of the Isauro -and Metauro, with the hilly land which separates them. Northward the -eye rests on Monte Bartolo, but southward it roams as far as Loreto, -and in clear weather the Dalmatian coast may be discerned. The tower -of the Malatesta, which formed a landmark to the whole surrounding -country, fell in 1723, and the dilapidated fabric of the della Rovere -now harbours a few squalid families, adding another to the melancholy -wrecks of departed grandeur too frequent in this fair land. Yet -Novillara will pass down the stream of Italian literary history as -the title of its courtly lord, and its magnificent panorama may well -repay the traveller who has leisure and strength to scramble to its -summit. - -The early policy of Leo was entirely pacific. The leading aim of his -diplomacy was to soothe those irritations which his predecessors had -fomented throughout Europe, and to heal the wounds thence resulting -to Italy. His only aggressive measures during 1513 had been directed -against the French, with the patriotic view of thwarting renewed -attempts upon the Peninsula, in which they were seconded by Spain -and Venice. In this object he was successful, but as the various -and complicated transactions by which it was effected are foreign -to our immediate purpose, we refer the reader for details to the -tenth, twelfth, and thirteenth chapters of Roscoe's delightful work, -although naturally representing them in the lights more favourable to -the Pontiff's motives than we are prepared fully to approve. Power -is, however, a dangerous draught, often exciting the thirst it seeks -to slake. Before the Keys had been many months in Leo's possession, -the establishment of his own family in the two fairest sovereignties -of Italy became the object for which he was to - - "Cry havock, and let slip the dogs of war." - -Anticipating changes which might occur upon the death of Ferdinand -II. of Spain, he conceived hopes of throwing off foreign domination -in Naples, and providing for it a king of Italian birth, in his own -brother Giuliano the Magnificent. With this ulterior advancement -in fancied perspective, he removed him from the management of -affairs at Florence, and substituted his nephew Lorenzo, intending -ere long to assert for the latter a titular as well as a virtual -sovereignty, and to extend his sway over all Tuscany, Urbino, and -Ferrara. These ambitious and revolutionary projects required powerful -aid, which could be most readily secured by finding a sharer in the -adventure. Such a one readily occurred in Louis XII., whose consent -to copartnery could scarcely be doubted, when his long-cherished -acquisition of the Milanese was offered as his share of its gains. -It was no serious objection to this scheme that it inferred a total -subversion of Leo's anti-gallican policy; and, intent only upon his -new views, he secretly negotiated with the French King to bring once -more into Lombardy those troops which, but the year before, he had -been the chief means of ignominiously chasing beyond the Alps. Should -this move place the great powers in general collision, there was all -the fairer chance for papal ambition in the scramble; and it mattered -little that Italy should again be laid in ashes, and saturated with -blood, so that the Medici became arbiters of her destiny. - -With a view to these arrangements, Giuliano was betrothed in the -following year to Filiberta of Savoy, maternal aunt of Francis, heir -to the French crown. But a fatality seems to have attended most -papal diplomacy: based upon nepotism or personal ambition, it was -generally thwarted by its own fickleness or imbecility. Doubtful of -the success of his scheme upon the crown of Naples (which Louis was -little disposed to gratify, although prepared to concede to Giuliano -the principality of Tarento), or impatient perhaps of waiting for -its becoming vacant, the Pontiff turned his views upon Parma and -Piacenza, as a convenient interim state for his brother, to be -aggrandised by the purchase of Modena from the Emperor for 40,000 -golden ducats. But here he was met by a difficulty of his own recent -creation, for the establishment of Louis at Milan must have proved -dangerous to the proposed principality of Giuliano; so, once more -shuffling the cards, he prepared some new combinations for preventing -the French expedition into Italy. One of these was an intrigue to -detach the Venetian republic from the party of Louis, for which -purpose he sent thither his adroit secretary Bembo, whose memorial -to the senate has been printed by Roscoe. This attempt, however, -entirely failed, and the King's death, on the 1st of January, alone -prevented the detection of his faithless ally.[257] - -[Footnote 257: One of the shrewd agents of the maritime republic -supplied a key to the policy of Leo, by observing that it consisted -in immediately opening a secret understanding with the avowed enemy -of whatever prince he leagued with. His intrigues in behalf of his -brother and nephew are illustrated by some documents in the _Archivio -Storico Italiano_, Appendix I., 306.] - -In returning from Venice, Bembo paid one more visit to the Feltrian -court, now at Pesaro, rejoicing in the recent birth of an heir to -the Dukedom. There he found many changes. The gay and accomplished -circle, in whose lighter or more pedantic pastimes he had borne a -willing part, was scattered, many of its members like himself to hold -appointments of trust and dignity. But it was a sincere satisfaction -to him again to meet the Duchess Elisabetta, now recovered from the -deep despondency he has so touchingly described, and enjoying the -society of her accomplished niece and successor, as well as of her -former mistress of the revels, the merry Emilia Pia. In company -of these ladies, the diplomatist forgot during a brief interval -the cares of state, and lingered for two days on the excuse of -indisposition, until he thought it necessary to explain his delay -in a letter to Cardinal Bibbiena of the 1st of January, 1515.[258] -The fatigues of riding post a hundred and forty miles from Chioggia -in two days and a half required this repose, and induced him to -continue his journey in less hot haste. Yet Bembo, with all his -accomplishments, was but a sunshine courtier, as we shall see some -fifteen months later. - -[Footnote 258: See below, p. 368.] - -It would seem that, at the time of Giuliano's marriage, the idea -of providing for him large additions in Romagna to his Lombard -principality was the leading motive of his brother's policy, -and that the Dukes of Urbino and Ferrara were already viewed as -stepping-stones to his exaltation. The command of the pontifical -troops was accordingly bestowed upon him as Gonfaloniere, on the -24th of June, 1515, at once an injustice and an insult to Francesco -Maria, in whose hands its baton remained unsullied.[*259] The fair -professions with which the Duke was superseded were vague and -unsatisfactory, and he received warning from various quarters of -the sinister designs whereof he was the destined victim. These, -however, being as yet immature, the Pontiff maintained professions -of unwavering favour, and, in a brief dated on the 16th of August, -he assures the Duke that he will readily regard certain services as -entitled to the largest and most liberal remuneration in his power. - -[Footnote *259: However, Francesco's record was not a very brilliant -one. He failed to take Mirandola without Julius II., and the affair -of Ravenna would, one might think, have ruined any soldier.] - -Yet Giuliano must be acquitted of the ingratitude and perfidy -shown to his former friend by the Pope and his nephew Lorenzo. The -hospitalities of Duke Guidobaldo had in his case fallen upon no -arid soil. His fondest recollections of lettered intercourse and -of youthful love were centred in Urbino. He remembered that it was -Francesco Maria who, six years before, had interposed to screen him -from the jealousies of the late Pontiff, and who had warmly urged the -restoration of his family in Florence. He therefore firmly refused -to acquiesce in any projects which would aggrandise himself at the -Duke's cost; and, in token of good will, while on his way to France, -made a detour to visit him at Gubbio, where he thus addressed him: -"I have heard, my Lord, that it has been represented to you how the -Pope has a mind to take your state from you, in order to give it me; -but this is not true, for, on account of the kindness, favour, and -benefits I ever have received from your Excellency and your house, -I should never consent to it, however much desired by his Holiness, -lest other princes of your rank should resolve, in consequence, never -again to give such refuge at their courts as was granted to me and -mine. Be assured, therefore, that, whilst I live, you not only will -receive no molestation on my account, but will be ever regarded by -me as an elder brother."[260] Upon these assurances, Francesco Maria -not only suspended the defences of his duchy, which he had begun -to put in order, but accepted an engagement for himself, with two -hundred men-at-arms and a hundred light horse, under Giuliano, the -pontifical captain-general. To secure himself, however, against all -contingencies, he applied to the Pontiff for leave to bring into the -field a thousand infantry, in addition to his usual following. The -scruples of Giuliano did not in any way soften his brother, whose -intrigues against Urbino are prominent in the curious despatch of his -secretary Bibbiena, which Roscoe has printed under date the 16th of -February. - -[Footnote 260: Dialogo Giraldi, Vat. Ottob. MSS. No. 3153.] - -Louis XII. died on the 1st of January, 1515, and was succeeded by -his second and third cousin, Francis I. This event changed not the -projects of Leo in behalf of his brother, whose marriage to the -Princess of Savoy was solemnised in February, and who was received -by the French monarch with kindness and distinction. To render his -position fully worthy of the match, the Pope invested him with Parma, -Piacenza, and Modena, yielding a revenue approaching to 48,000 -ducats. He likewise settled a large pension upon the princess, and -provided for the pair a magnificent palace in Rome, to which they -were welcomed with a pomp unusual even in these days of pageantry. - -Leo's position with reference to Francis I. was in many respects -embarrassing, and the defence of his policy, elaborately undertaken -by Roscoe, has established the writer's bias rather than the -Pontiff's rectitude. That monarch was steadily pursuing those -schemes upon the Milanese which Leo had the year before suggested -to his predecessor; and the amicable relations established with -the Medici by Giuliano's marriage gave him additional reason to -rely upon the Pontiff's support in the struggle which must follow -his descent upon Italy. But to restrain the French beyond their -Alpine barrier was the favourite, as well as the natural policy of -his Holiness, and it was that which tended most to the security of -his brother's newly-acquired Lombard sovereignty. He therefore, -in July, after some months of anxious vacillation, avowed his -adherence to the league of the Emperor with the Kings of England -and of Spain, to which Florence, Milan, and the Swiss were parties. -Yet he was far from hearty in the cause, and, during the brief -campaign which succeeded the arrival of a French army in Lombardy, -the ecclesiastical contingent limited their efforts to watching the -safety of Parma and Piacenza. Nor did the other allies show much -more zeal, excepting the Swiss, whose impetuous valour brought on -the pitched battle of Marignano on the 13th of September, and lost -them the prestige which had stamped their infantry as invincible. The -costly victory there gained by the French was speedily followed by a -surrender of his claims upon Milan by Duke Maximiliano Sforza, who -was content to enjoy for the remainder of his life a home and pension -provided by his conqueror.[*261] - -[Footnote *261: The defeat of the Swiss at Marignano opened the way -for the long fight between Francis I. and Charles V. It decided many -things--the future of monarchy in Europe, for instance, as well as -the fate of the republican army "so long invincible in Italy." Cf. -CREIGHTON, _op. cit._, vol. V., p. 243. "What will become -of us," said Leo to Giorgi, the Venetian Ambassador, who brought him -the news of the defeat--"and of you?" "We will put ourselves in the -hands of the Most Christian King," he added, "and will implore his -mercy." Cf. the _Relazioni Venete_, 2nd series, vol. III., p. 44, -quoted by Creighton, who, as always, takes the view of a statesman, -and not merely that of a scholar. Sforza surrendered Milan on October -4th. The Pope signed terms with Francis October 13th, 1515. The Pope -was then in Viterbo, which he left for Bologna in November, coming to -Florence on the last day of that month. In December he was back in -Bologna to meet Francis. He returned to Florence and left for Rome on -February 19th, 1516.] - -The principal object of Francis being thus effected, he was not -indisposed to reconciliation with the Holy See, for which Leo had -sedulously retained an opening by keeping Ludovico Canossa throughout -the contest as an accredited agent at the French head-quarters. But -the Pontiff met the usual reward of trimmers. The tardy accommodation -offered by his envoy came too late to save Parma and Piacenza, for -which alone he had become a party to the war. The French monarch -would not hear of renouncing what he insisted were intrinsic -portions of the Milanese, but offered to meet with the Pontiff and -arrange in person a lasting amity, Bologna being named for the -interview. Upon the diplomatic arrangements which there occupied -these potentates in the end of the year we need not touch, further -than to notice that the intercession of Francis in favour of the -Duke of Urbino, which the latter had hastened, after the battle of -Marignano, to bespeak by means of a special envoy, proved quite -ineffectual. It obviously was dictated less by any interest in the -Duke's welfare than by the wish to thwart a favourite project of his -fickle ally, and it at once was met by reference to an article which -the Pope had adroitly inserted in the treaty, that Francis should in -no way interfere for the protection of any undutiful vassal of the -Holy See. From Bologna Leo proceeded to Florence, where he remained -most of the winter, maturing his schemes for the ruin of Francesco -Maria. - -The death of Ferdinand of Spain in January, 1516, soon reawoke the -ambitious hopes of Francis, by reminding him of his predecessor's -dormant claims upon the Neapolitan crown. But a new combination of -circumstances gave another turn to his thoughts. The efforts of the -Venetians to recover Verona and Brescia from Maximilian brought the -latter into Lombardy at the head of fifteen thousand Swiss troops, -by whom Lautrec, the French general, was for a time hard pressed, -and Leo, ever anxious to conciliate a conqueror, hastily sent -Cardinal Bibbiena with reinforcements to the Emperor's camp. Yet the -storm, passing off suddenly and harmlessly, left few traces besides -jealousy, which the prudence of that wily legate scarcely prevented -from arising in the mind of Francis towards his slippery ally. - -These vacillations on the part of Leo have been slightly touched -upon, in order to clear the ground for displaying his ambitious -nepotism in its proper field,--the duchy of Urbino. This, his -prevailing weakness, had met with many disappointments. No opening -occurred for its exercise in the direction of Naples. Parma and -Piacenza had passed from his grasp, by reluctant surrender to a -professing ally. But, worst of all, his favourite brother Giuliano, -the object in whom centred most of his schemes, had been removed -by death on the 17th of March, not without surmise of poison from -the jealousy of his nephew Lorenzo.[*262] Although his great -popularity favoured the ambitious views which were thrust upon him -by the Pontiff, his mind lay rather towards elegant pursuits and -splendid tastes, than to such high aspirations. Indeed, the Venetian -ambassador, Capello, represents his dying request to Leo as in favour -of Urbino[*263]; but the Pope waived the discussion of a point upon -which his resolution was taken. Lorenzo, his successor in the papal -favour, was a much more willing, though less conciliatory, instrument -of his Holiness's designs. - -[Footnote *262: Giuliano had certainly been ailing for months. His -death did not seem to have been unexpected.] - -[Footnote *263: So does Giorgi. Cf. _Relazioni Venete_, 2nd series, -vol. II., p. 51.] - -Lorenzo de' Medici was eldest son of Pietro, the first-born of -Lorenzo the Magnificent.[*264] He was born on the 13th of September, -1492, and his youth was passed amid many trials. His father, after -ten years of exile from Florence, had been drowned in the Garigliano, -in 1504, and, four years thereafter, his sister Clarissa's marriage -with Filippo Strozzi involved him in a second banishment. He was of -good person and gallant presence, endowed with a stirring spirit, -but destitute of generous or heroic qualities. Giorgi, another -Venetian envoy, even considered him scarcely inferior in cunning and -capacity to the redoubted Valentino. The government of Florence was -committed to him by Leo, on his uncle Giuliano being called to a -higher destiny, and feeling his advancement restrained by the prior -claims, as well as by the moderation of the latter, he is believed to -have removed him by poison; at all events he was immediately named to -succeed him as gonfaloniere of the Church. - -[Footnote *264: Cf. VERDI: _Gli ultimi anni di Lorenzo de' -Medici duca d'Urbino, 1515-1519_ (Pietrogrande, 1905).] - -This renewed outrage upon Francesco Maria's military rank,[*265] -and the death of the only individual of the Medici upon whom he had -any reliance, warned him of the approaching crisis in his fate. The -influence of Alfonsina degli Orsini in favour of her son Lorenzo -stimulated the Pontiff's projects, unwarned by a prediction of -Giuliano that, by following the courses of the Borgia, he would -probably suffer their fate. The immediate pretext, adopted for -outpouring the accumulated vials of papal wrath, was the Duke's -declining to march his troops into Lombardy under Lorenzo as -gonfaloniere, in consequence, as Giraldi informs us, of information -that his death was resolved upon should he trust his person within -his rival's power. Accordingly, Leo was no sooner returned to Rome, -than, affecting to consider this refusal, as the act of overt -rebellion by a subject against his sovereign, he issued a severe -monitory against his feudatory, summoning him thither to answer -various vague or irrelevant charges, one of these being the Cardinal -of Pavia's slaughter, of which he had already received no - - "Ragged and forestalled remission," - -on a report subscribed by Leo himself. Various diplomatic -functionaries at the papal court vainly interceded that he should -appear by attorney, instead of surrendering in person; and he -meanwhile garrisoned Urbino, Pesaro, and S. Leo. The Duchess Dowager, -whose arms had frequently received and fondled the infant Lorenzo, -while her husband's court sheltered the elder members of his house, -hastened to Rome as a mediatrix; but it was with difficulty she -made her way to the Pope's presence, and she obtained no mercy for -her nephew, nor protection for her own alimentary provisions out -of the duchy, his Holiness refusing to listen to any propositions -until the Duke had obeyed the monitory by appearing at Rome before -the 2nd of April. In consequence of his failure to do so, a bull of -excommunication went forth on the 27th, depriving him of his state, -and all dignities held of the Holy See, and absolving his subjects -from allegiance, on pain of ecclesiastical censures. By a gratuitous -exercise of malevolence, the papal influence was employed with the -King of Spain for confiscation of Sora, and his other patrimonial -holdings in Naples, thus visiting him with instant beggary. On the -18th of August, his dukedom and ecclesiastical baton were conferred -upon the unworthy Lorenzo, who, in the following month, was also -invested with the prefecture of Rome. - -[Footnote *265: I do not see how this was an outrage. Francesco had -been already dismissed: see _supra_ 360. Besides, he had certainly -made overtures to the French. Cf. GUICCIARDINI, _Storia -d'Italia_, vol. XII.] - -[Illustration: _Alinari_ - -LORENZO DI PIERO DE' MEDICI, DUKE OF URBINO - -_After the picture by Bronzino in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence_] - -The value of political gratitude is strikingly illustrated in the -fact, that these outrageous measures were adopted, in a consistory -composed for the most part of creatures of the della Rovere family, -with the single dissentient voice of Cardinal Grimani, of Venice, -Bishop of Urbino, whose independence earned him an exile from Rome. -Nor was this the only painful lesson of the worth of courtier -fidelity now taught to that illustrious house. Even the civilities -of Bembo to the Duchess Dowager sank to a low grade, as he thus -acknowledges in a letter to Bibbiena of the 19th of April:--"The Lady -Duchess of Urbino, whom I visited yesterday (a duty which I, however, -very rarely perform), commends herself to you, as does also the Lady -Emilia. On these dames the Signor Unico [Accolti] dances attendance. -He is more than ever in the heat of his old passion, which he -declares now numbers five lustres and a half; and he has better -hopes than heretofore of at length obtaining the consummation of his -desires, having been asked by the Lady Duchess to _improvisare_, by -which means he trusts to move that stony heart to tears--at the -least. He is to rehearse in two or three days, and as soon as he -does so, I shall report to you: would that you could be here, as he -is sure to do it right well." It can scarcely be doubted that this -innuendo was meant to apply to the more exalted of these ladies. -Whether as a caustic sneer, or a current scandal, it comes ill from -such a quarter, and only adds a new proof of the poet's inordinate -conceit. Nor did it go unpunished, for we find such vain effrontery -thus lashed by Gandolfo Porrino, a contemporary satirist:-- - - "In such affairs the palm he gives to one beyond all gold, - Urbino's Duchess dowager, your cousin scarce yet old. - Long at that court Lord Unico had paragoned her face, - With words and pen, in wondrous phrase, to angels' matchless grace. - Till, gazing on those saint-like eyes, while tears bedimmed his own, - The secret of his passion thus he breathed to her alone: - 'All goddess fair! my love for thee all other loves exceeds, - No Launcelot, no errant knight, its lightning course outspeeds! - Prithee with me participate the boon that cannot cloy, - And share in mutual confidence a bliss without alloy.' - Unlike those artful hypocrites who evil speeches spurn, - But wink at acts, the prudent dame thus answer did return: - 'Remember that we hapless wives must each their lord obey, - Tyrant or kind, his dread behests we never may gainsay; - Mine is the Duke, to whom your wish propose, should he assent, - As well I wot, right readily your whim shall I content.' - Confounded by her sarcasm the carpet-knight was left - Poor victim of his vanity, of self-respect bereft." - -The now inevitable war was opened by a simultaneous movement upon the -duchy from three several quarters. Renzo, that is, Lorenzo da Ceri, -accompanied by Lorenzo de' Medici and a powerful army, advanced from -Romagna; Vitello Vitelli marched upon Massa Trabaria; and, on the -12th of May, Gianpaolo Baglioni seized on Gubbio.[*266] The force -thus poured upon the state amounted to seventeen thousand foot, -above a thousand men-at-arms, and near two thousand light horse. -That which Francesco Maria could bring into the field numbered about -nine thousand men, and being averse to entail upon his subjects the -miseries of an unavailing struggle, he authorised their surrender, -excepting the citadels of Pesaro, Urbino, S. Leo, and Maiuolo, which -he garrisoned for resistance. His attempts to obtain the mediation -or support of foreign powers entirely failed. Their sympathy and -condolence were freely doled out to him, but none gave hope of -efficient aid, except Maximilian, whose promises, on this as on all -other occasions, proved quite worthless. It only remained to bow, as -his uncle Guidobaldo had done, before the storm, and await happier -times. On the 31st he sent off from Pesaro his consort, in an ailing -state, his infant son, and the dowager Duchess to their relations at -Mantua, with such valuables as they could transport in six or eight -vessels, and, speedily following them, he embarked at midnight and -reached that city in disguise. - -[Footnote *266: Cf. PELLEGRINI, _Gubbio sotto i conti e -Duchi d'Urbino_, in _Boll. per l'Umbria_, vol. XI., p. 221. Gianpaolo -Baglioni da Perugia entered the Eugubine territory with 100 knights, -500 horse, and 3000 foot. The Duke wrote that he could not defend -Gubbio. On the 31st May the Consiglio was called together, and it -decided: "redire ad Romanam ecclesiam et sub regimine s. D.N."] - -Pesaro, after an eight days' siege, capitulated on honourable terms, -in breach of which Tranquillo Giraldi, the commandant, was hanged -upon a vague accusation of bad faith. Urbino having, by order of its -sovereign, been surrendered without a blow on the 30th of May,[*267] -the community, on the 16th of June, sent deputies to kiss the Pope's -feet on taking possession of the state, in hopes of obtaining -relaxation of the interdict; but his Holiness raised it only for -such as adhered to the existing order of things. He committed the -government of the town to its new bishop, Giulio Vitelli, who -intrigued at all hands to induce the magistracy to follow the example -set them in other places, of petitioning his Holiness to give them -an independent sovereign, in order that the exaltation of his nephew -to the dukedom might seem a popular measure. On the 16th of June -the interdict was removed from all the duchy except S. Leo, which -alone held out; but, faithful to the proverb of hating him whom he -had injured, the Pontiff was deaf to all entreaties for restoration -to church privileges of his victim, who consequently remained in -hiding at Goito near Mantua, apart from his family, that he might -not involve them in excommunication, and giving out that he had fled -across the Alps, in order to baffle those who sought his life. - -[Footnote *267: ZACCAGNINI has published an unknown poem -on this taking of Urbino. See _Un poemetto sconosciuto sulla presa -d'Urbino del 1516_, in _Le Marche_ (1906), An. VI., p. 145.] - -The example of Guidobaldo kept alive his hopes of regaining his -sovereignty, as that Duke had done, by means of S. Leo. But ere he -could organise measures for a descent, he had the grief of learning -its fall. As there is always something of romantic adventure in -the surprise of a place impregnable by ordinary expedients, we may -dwell for a moment on the third and last successful leaguer of this -fortress. The garrison consisted of a hundred and twenty men, one -tenth of whom had fallen in its defence. After three months spent in -hopeless assaults, a Florentine carpenter, named Antonio, observing -from the opposite heights the absence of sentinels over one of the -most precipitous parts of the rock, attempted to make his way up the -face of it, sometimes aided by plants and bushes in the clefts, but -generally driving iron spikes into their crevices, and fastening -ropes, ladders, or beams, as he advanced. After four nights of this -perilous toil he reached the wall, which he found, as expected, -without defenders. Having reported the way accessible, a number of -light infantry were entrusted to his guidance, whom he ordered to -strip their headgear and shoes, and to strap upon their backs their -shields, swords, and hatchets. On the 30th of September, under cover -of a wet and foggy night, he conducted these safely to the summit, -accompanied by a drummer and four pair of colours. At daybreak, -an alarm was given from the watch-tower of an assault upon the -gate, towards which the besiegers had sent a party; and, whilst the -defenders hurried in that direction, Antonio, with some fifty men, -cleared the walls, displayed their colours, and beat to arms. Ere the -garrison had recovered their presence of mind, the gate was opened by -the escalading party to their comrades, and the place was carried. -The citadel was held for twenty-five days longer by a handful -of desperate men, but they at length surrendered to one Antonio -Riccasoli of Florence, who placed upon the castle a vainglorious -inscription, claiming for himself the genius of another Dedalus. The -fortress had been commanded by Sigismondo Varana, Count of Camerino, -the Duke's young nephew, assisted by an experienced captain of the -Ubaldini; and the good treatment experienced by the garrison gave -rise to a suspicion of treachery on their part, Sigismondo alone -being sent to Volterra as prisoner of war. Much of the Duke's -treasure was taken, and the loss of S. Leo proved a serious blow to -his interests.[268] - -[Footnote 268: Vat. Urb. MSS. No. 906, 907, 928; Vat. Ottob. MSS. No. -3153.] - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV - - The Duke returns to his state--His struggle with the - usurper--His victory at Montebartolo. - - -Meanwhile the fatal wars originating in the League of Cambray were -finally concluded, by a treaty offensive and defensive, between the -young monarchs of France and Spain, guaranteeing their respective -Italian possessions, which was signed at Nogon on the 13th of August, -and was followed by that of London on the 29th of October, to which -the Pope, the Emperor, Charles V., and Henry VIII., were parties. -A general pacification having been thus obtained, Francesco Maria -was further than ever from assistance in recovering his rights, -yet the moment seemed not unfavourable for a single-handed attempt -at asserting them. The numerous condottieri of all nations, thus -thrown loose without prospect of new occupation, offered him their -services on very easy terms, preferring employment on the credit -of eventual pay, with the chance of interim pillage, to a life of -listless beggary. The French and Venetians secretly favoured any -adventure which should rid their territories of such odious inmates, -and the Duke found no great difficulty in mustering, by the beginning -of the year, three thousand eight hundred infantry and six hundred -light horse. He placed the latter under his wife's cousin, Federigo -Gonzaga, Marquis of Bozzolo, a young man who singularly mingled -the staid wisdom of a veteran commander with the jovial manners of -a free companion, and was thus equally the confidential adviser -of his general, and the idol of his men. He had also become a -personal enemy of Lorenzo, from having been deprived by him of the -command committed to him by Giuliano de' Medici. This motley army -was composed of tried soldiers, but was deficient in the material -for a sustained campaign, notwithstanding the Duke's great exertions -and sacrifices, by borrowing money at all hands, and by selling his -wife's valuables, to provide for it the most necessary munitions. -Before taking the field, he, on the 17th of January, addressed to -the Sacred College, and publicly placarded, this earnest protest and -vindication of his measures, which, although prolix, is an important -manifesto. - - "Most reverend and respected Lords: I have ever flattered - myself that the long persecutions, which exposed me to so - many perils, have not lost me your Reverences' favour, - nor rendered you personally hostile to me; indeed, I - feel assured that you have always looked upon me with - compassion, and pitied my misfortunes. Nor did I enjoy, - amid such adversities, any consolation more efficacious - than my conviction that your Sacred College considers me in - nowise worthy of such persecutions. But, as I always have - been, am, and shall through life continue, your most humble - and obedient servant, I hold myself bound to account to - you for every action, and to defend myself from whatever - imputations my enemies may have made to your very reverend - Lordships, in whom repose all my hopes of protection. - - "I presume that you have heard of my new enterprise against - my own state, dictated, not by any desire to disturb, - embarrass, or molest the interests of the Church, but - rather by a wish to commit my life upon the hazard of the - war, trusting that God will so direct its issue as that - my innocence, so known to his divine providence, may be - equally manifested to all the world. And in this assurance - I proceed, not rashly or presumptuously, but aware that - neither my resources, which are at present next to nothing, - nor those of the most potent monarch, would suffice to - resist the might of his Holiness, supported as he is by - all the sovereigns and powers of Christendom; relying, - moreover, on Almighty God, the King of kings, who can, and, - as I hope, will, aid and defend me in this calamity, since - He, to whom the hearts of men are open, knows that I have - no other expedient left for my peace or life itself. After - having betaken myself to the illustrious Lord Marquis, my - father-in-law, at Mantua, and placed myself in a sort of - voluntary imprisonment; after having lost my fortresses, - and nearly all my worldly possessions; and having even - made up my mind to promise his Holiness not to make any - attempt upon my state, or disturb his nephew, to whom he - had given it,--my sole wish being to live; still, so far - from obtaining a relaxation of the censures, other and - harsher interdicts were constantly issued against me, with - positive injunctions to my distinguished father-in-law not - to harbour me in his territory. Nay, I daily discover plots - against my life by poison or the dagger; which, however, I - attribute not to my Lord his Holiness, convinced that his - clemency and goodness are irreconcilable with so ardent a - thirst for my blood, and such perfidious ingratitude for - the numberless benefits which, setting aside more remote - recollections, he and all his house received from myself, - when in straits similar to what I now endure, but rather to - my enemies, who, in effecting my ruin, bring infamy upon - his Holiness, and think thus to force me to flee for my - life into Turkey. - - "Compelled, then, by these considerations, I have set - forward towards my own home, in the belief that, even - should my death ensue, infamy never can; and in the - conviction that, if it was right for his Holiness, whilst - living as a cardinal in honour and dignity, to occasion - the cruel sack of Prato, in order to regain those rights - of citizenship from which he had been outlawed, it will be - far more justifiable in me, an outlaw, not from one city, - but from all Christendom, and deprived, not merely of my - temporal dignities, but almost of the means of subsistence, - the sacraments of the Church, and the intercourse of - mankind, by a persecution which directs at once temporal - and spiritual weapons against my station, life, and - soul;--it will, I say, be justifiable for me to attempt - my restoration to the state, of which, in the opinion of - my own people, and of all men except his Holiness, I am - the legitimate sovereign. I therefore supplicate your - most reverend Lordships, by the pity due to such as have - blamelessly fallen into misfortune, that you will deign to - afford me protection, falling upon some means or expedient - for mitigating the Pontiff's feelings; seeing I cannot but - think that your influence, his own natural goodness, and my - innocence must break down that obduracy which the unjust - lips and guileful tongues of my adversaries have raised - towards me in the mind of his Holiness; for, to regain - his favour, there is no submission or endurable penance - that I would refuse. And, should I not be deemed worthy of - such compassion, you, my very reverend Lords, may at least - condescend in silence to favour my cause with your best - wishes and thoughts, and efficiently to recommend me to - the unfailing bounty and justice of God. If my success be - as signal as I hope, I shall stand indebted to your most - reverend Lordships, believing that the Almighty has heard - your reasonable desires, and extended his protection to me - through your merits. Or, on the other hand, should my puny - force not be overborne by the weight of the papal power, - backed by spiritual weapons, it will be a palpable miracle, - and proof sufficient that my innocence, though on earth - condemned by men, will be cleared in Heaven by a higher - and more equitable Judge. And so, ever kissing humbly your - Reverences' hands, I commend myself to your favour. From - Sermene, the 17th of January, 1517." - -The narrative of Giraldi[269] is a safe authority as to many details -of this enterprise, his uncle Benedetto having been an officer much -in the Duke's confidence. We, therefore, venture to extract the -harangue which he puts into the mouth of Francesco Maria, before -marching from Sermene, not, of course, as his verbatim address to his -followers, but as containing the understanding on both sides of their -respective obligations. - -[Footnote 269: Vat. Ottob. MSS. No. 3153, f. 115.] - - "'Soldiers and Comrades, I have assembled you here, in - order that you may fully learn my mind and intentions, and - that I may know yours. I therefore acquaint you that I have - arranged with your leaders, who have promised, and bound - themselves by articles, to accompany me into my state of - Urbino, and to re-establish me in my home, and to maintain - me there during life, indifferent to pay or remuneration - beyond such as I may be able to give,--I confiding to them - my state and person, in reliance upon your good faith. I - now wish to know if you are all agreed to follow me in this - enterprise; and, should this be your pleasure, I desire - from you an oath never to abandon me on any contingency - that may occur, and that, in case of being forced to - quit me by the pressure of events without completing our - undertaking, you will oblige yourselves to return to this - place as a rendezvous, and, further, that you shall not - desert me for any offers or bribes of the enemy. Avowing to - you at the same time that, at this moment, I have not above - a ducat a-piece to give you, I nevertheless feel confident - our gains will be great, unless fortune be more than - adverse; and I promise that all the booty will be yours, - and that I shall be your comrade, never sparing my life - while it lasts. If you accept these my terms, you must all - swear to observe them; otherwise I shall not move from this - territory of my brother-in-law.' Whereupon they all, with - extended hands, took an oath never to abandon him during - life; and so they set forth in the name of God, on the 17th - of January, led by Federigo di Bozzolo." - -The Pontiff was taken at unawares, for, believing his enemy utterly -crushed, he made light of such warnings as had reached him of a -contemplated movement against the duchy; but now that the expedition -was matured, he knew well the slight hold which the usurper had upon -the affections of his nominal subjects. Nor was he more at ease as to -the inclinations of his new allies in Lombardy, whose stipendiaries -had thus suddenly turned their arms against him. His anxiety was in -no way diminished by the representations of his confidential friend -Bibbiena, who, actuated perhaps by some lurking kindness for the -house of Urbino, urged him to abandon the Borgian policy he had in -hand, until such persuasions were silenced by the threatened poignard -of Lorenzo. Ere effectual precautions could be adopted in Romagna, -Francesco Maria had rallied round him eight thousand infantry and -fifteen hundred horse, most of them veterans, and with these he -marched about the middle of January. Passing Rimini, where his -rival lay "sorely perplexed and bewildered" (to use the phrase of -Minio, the Venetian envoy), he advanced under every discouragement -of an inclement season, his men wading through snow to the middle, -and swimming frequent-swollen torrents. From the secrecy of his -preparations and the poverty of his resources, his commissariat was -altogether inadequate; but, on reaching his frontier, the refusal of -Gradara to submit afforded his men an excuse for compensating their -privations by its sack. - -His subjects had been prepared by emissaries for a general revolt. -On the 1st of February, Count Carlo Gabrielli raised the cry of -"Feltro! Feltro!" at Gubbio, and it was enthusiastically responded -to through the smaller towns. On the 5th, the Duke was within a few -miles of Urbino, then held by Bishop Vitelli, with a garrison of -two thousand men, who, distrusting the inhabitants, summoned their -militia to muster at S. Bernardino, and closed the gates as soon as -the city had thus been cleared of its able-bodied men, refusing to -readmit them on pain of instant death. The excluded citizens vented -their indignation at this trick, in threats and abuse of the garrison -from under the very walls, which at length provoked a sortie of -four hundred infantry in order to disperse them. At this juncture, -a squadron of one hundred cavalry, sent on by Francesco Maria under -Benedetto Giraldi of Mondolfo, for the purpose of supporting the -expected rising in his favour, arrived three miles below Urbino, and, -whilst breathing their horses, heard that the enemy were abroad. -Benedetto immediately left his little force in charge of his brother -Annibale, and rode on with but five officers to reconnoitre. The -adventure which followed, equally worthy of a bold knight-errant and -a Christian soldier, must be told as in the Dialogue of his nephew -Tranquillo. "Coming suddenly upon the detachment, about half a mile -from the town, Benedetto exclaimed, 'Look there! as these are the -first of our master's foes we have fallen in with, it would surely be -a shame to let them get back to the city without a taste of us: I am -therefore resolved to make a dash at them, and if you will follow me, -by God's grace we shall have the first victory.' This said, he rushed -into the midst of them, with vizor up and lance in rest, overthrowing -many by the shock. His weapon having broken, he performed prodigies -with his sword, and, aided by his followers, who had not shrunk -from his summons, the enemy's leaders were slain, and their whole -battalion dispersed in panic through the fields, where most of them -were put to death by the excluded townsfolk, who had mustered at -the first alarm. I, too, came up with our squadron, in time to cut -off a good many of them; but I had little cause to congratulate -myself upon that success, for, passing near my brother [Benedetto], -he said to me, 'Annibale, I am killed.' Whereupon, looking towards -him, I observed a cut in his face, and told him to fear nothing, as -face wounds were not mortal; but he replied, 'It's worse than that, -for I am run through the body by a pike.' At these words my heart -seemed riven asunder; yet, in order not to alarm him, I desired him -to cheer up, and commend himself to God Almighty, and to the most -glorious Mother of the Saviour, and to vow his armour and horse to -Loreto, adding that I too would offer a housing worth twenty-five -ducats. 'I am content,' answered he, 'to give this horse, a gallant -Turkish charger bestowed upon me by the Marquis of Mantua, along -with these arms; but I have only one favour to ask of the Saviour -of mankind, which is, that he will permit me to live long enough to -confess myself.' As he said this an Observantine friar, who had on -former occasions confessed him, came up, and, after thanking God -for having heard his prayer, he summoned the monk, and returning -to Cavallino confessed himself. There being no surgeon at hand, a -gentleman of Mantua named Stigino cleansed the wound by suction, and -ascertained that the bowels were not pierced, which afforded me much -hope. I sent for many surgeons. The first that arrived was Maccione -of Fossombrone, who dressed the wound with charmed bandages, a thing -that much displeased my brother; and for conscience-sake he refused -to be doctored in that way, until persuaded by a friar, who assured -him there was no sin, seeing that there had been no diabolical -incantation used; and, being told of numerous miracles effected by -these cloths, he submitted to them, and ere long was restored to -health." - -The sally-party from the garrison having been repulsed by Giraldi's -squadron, aided by a considerable force from Gubbio, Fossombrone, -and Sinigaglia, which just then most opportunely appeared, they -found little safety by returning to quarters. The citizens still -within the walls rushed to arms, even the women and children showered -missiles on the retreating soldiery, and the Bishop, dispirited by -the disaster, capitulated next day. But being seized with a panic, -his garrison withdrew ere their safe-conduct was signed, and were -beset by the infuriated troops and inhabitants, who attacked them on -every side with arms, bludgeons, and stones, slaying or capturing -them to a man. The Duke thus entered his capital, and was welcomed -with demonstrations of joy, only equalled by those which, fourteen -years before, had hailed his uncle's return in similar circumstances. - -As it was no easy task to restrain an army so composed from reaping -the spoils of victory in a way opposite to wishes and the interests -of Francesco Maria, he lost no time in employing them against Fano, -a town which, not belonging to his state, might with less scruple -be abandoned to plunder. The assault, however, miscarried through -Maldonato, a Spanish captain, whose treasonable correspondence with -Rome began already to be intercepted, and was ere long exposed. -After this check, the troops were dispersed among the villages, -until the inclement weather should pass; their head-quarters were at -Montebaroccio, a very strong position midway between the upper part -of the duchy, which acknowledged its legitimate sovereign, and the -cities of Pesaro, Fano, and Sinigaglia, which were garrisoned by the -ecclesiastical troops. - -Meanwhile the Pope, trusting to time more than the sword for ridding -him of an enemy destitute of all resources, had directed his nephew -to leave them an open field, until his preparations for their -destruction should be complete. He hastily called upon the Emperor -and the Kings of France and Spain for assistance, whilst Lorenzo was -mustering the ecclesiastical and Florentine militia, under Guido -Rangone of Modena, Renzo da Ceri, and Vitello Vitelli. No expense -was spared from the papal treasury to raise an overwhelming force, -and Lorenzo borrowed 50,000 golden florins from his fellow-citizens. -Charles contributed four hundred Neapolitan lances, and Francis -promised three hundred more, on condition of the surrender by Leo -of Modena to his ally the Duke of Ferrara. By these means was -levied an army of fifteen to eighteen thousand infantry, a thousand -men-at-arms, and at least as many light cavalry, with fourteen pieces -of artillery. - -The Lord of Urbino appears to have looked without reason for -reinforcements from Venice,[*270] but Minio mentions that his army -now consisted of twelve thousand foot, and that he had received a -money subsidy from an unknown quarter, probably his father-in-law, -the Marquis of Mantua. Yet his position was in all respects critical. -In an enterprise depending on prompt success, each hour lost was the -enemy's gain. His present life of bootless and bootyless inaction -disgusted his Spaniards, who not only murmured, but, unmindful of -their vow of service, began to desert to the ecclesiastical camp, -attracted by superior pay. Worst of all, the enthusiasm that had -enabled Guidobaldo to win back his state for a brief interval, -now languished in the cause of his nephew, whose coup-de-main -had failed, and whose resources were inadequate to a prolonged -struggle, the burden whereof must fall upon his loyal subjects. In -these circumstances, he resorted to an expedient which relieved the -dull incidents of a petty campaign by one of a novel and romantic -character. Hoping to bring the war to a speedy issue, he sent Suares -de Lione, a Spanish officer, and his own Secretary, Orazio Florido, -with the following instructions, and message to his adversary:-- - - "As it is creditable to a prince warring for any cause, - to endeavour that his object should be effected with the - least bloodshed and injury to the country, especially - if it be his intention to become its sovereign, and as - I conceive that the Lord Lorenzo must share in this - sentiment, I have devised an expedient most convenient - to both of us. For if he desire the acquisition of this - state as ardently as appears from the late and present - campaign, he will be delighted to satisfy that longing - promptly, and without further burden to its inhabitants, by - putting to the test his own bravery and that of his troops. - I therefore empower you, Captain Suares and Orazio, to - challenge him forthwith to combat in any place he likes; - four thousand men against four thousand, or three, two, or - one thousand, or five hundred, or one hundred, or twenty, - or four, or any smaller number he may choose, provided he - and I are included,--all to be on foot, with the usual arms - of infantry; or lastly, if he will fight me alone with the - readiest arms, so much the better, that thus, by the death - or imprisonment of one of us, the victor may obtain the - most satisfactory solution of his wishes, and relieve the - lingering suspense of not a few. - - "Relying on the courage of his Lordship, and many about - him of not less honourable pretensions, that these so - reasonable proposals will be received with pleasure, I - shall await your return, promptly to prepare for whatever - alternative he may accede to. I limit the answer to three - days; adding that, if he prefer fighting in considerable - numbers, he may do so with three hundred picked men of the - light cavalry, armed with lance, sword poignard, and mace. - Or, if none of the aforesaid conditions please him, which - I cannot believe possible, remember to offer that, if he - will engage with these three hundred light horse, and all - my infantry, he may have the advantage of five hundred or - a thousand foot beyond what I can bring into the field, - equally armed. And the present memorandum you will deliver - into his Lordship's hands."[271] - -[Footnote *270: It was against Venice that Leo had first, in March, -1517, tried to get help.] - -[Footnote 271: Vat. Urb. MSS. No. 1023, f. 141. It has been printed -by Leone, p. 222.] - -This step, natural to a gallant soldier of almost desperate fortunes, -with neither means nor inducement for a prolonged struggle, could -have no recommendation for his opponent, now at the head of an -overwhelming force, backed by the papal treasury and the united -arms of most European powers. Lorenzo felt nettled at a proposal -which it would have been folly to accept, but which could scarcely -be declined without incurring a slur; and, after answering that he -could entertain no such cartel until his challenger had evacuated -those places which he had forcibly seized, his temper showed itself -by arresting its bearers, notwithstanding their safe-conduct. -The Spaniard was speedily released; but the secretary was sent -to Volterra or Rome, to be disposed of by the Pope, where, with -revolting treachery and meanness, he was subjected to imprisonment -and torture, in the hope of drawing from him the secrets of his -master, whose vigorous resistance Leo strongly suspected to be backed -by the French monarch. - -The war was now carried on by manoeuvres and skirmishes, which have -no interest beyond the light they throw on the spirit of this unequal -contest. Among the reinforcements that flocked to the papal standard -was an undisciplined band which crossed the Apennines from Tuscany, -carrying fire and sword through the highlands of Montefeltro. The -Duke was unable to leave the low country exposed by marching in -person to the relief of his faithful mountaineers, but sent into -these defiles a squadron of light horse, who, falling upon the rabble -at unawares, amply avenged their excesses. On the 25th of March, the -inhabitants of Montebaroccio, having voluntarily admitted a body -of papal troops, were visited by severe retribution as a warning -to others; the place was sacked and burned by the Spaniards, seven -hundred men and fifty old women being put to the sword,--a repulsive -comment upon the Duke's boast, that though the walls of his towns -were held for others, the hearts they contained were all his own. -These partial successes turned the tide of feeling somewhat more -favourably for the della Rovere cause, and we learn from the Minio -despatches, that the war, unpopular at Rome from the first, now -occasioned great anxiety to the government, from the difficulty in -raising funds to continue it. The Pope retired frequently to his -villa at La Magliana, less from the love of field sports, than to -indulge his chagrin.[*272] Such were his straits for money, that he -deposited jewels in pawn with the Cardinal Riario, for a loan of 7000 -ducats. This sum, with 5000 more, having been despatched to Pesaro -in a convoy of waggons, was captured by the Duke, and along with it -were found certain letters, written in name of his Holiness, advising -Lorenzo, in the event of any suspicion attaching to the Gascons in -his service, either to ship them at once for Lombardy, or to have -them summarily massacred. These missives, having been circulated -in the ecclesiastical camp, occasioned a prodigious ferment, and -it was with the utmost difficulty that Lorenzo, by denying their -authenticity, induced the French troops to remain under his command, -until an opportunity offered of conciliating them by the plunder of -Sta. Costanza. - -[Footnote *272: "Gli pareva gran vergogna della Chiesa che ad un -duchetto basti l'animo di fare questa novita; e il papa tremeva, ed -era quasi fuor di se." Cf. GIORGI, _Relazioni Venete_, 2nd -series, vol. III., p. 47.] - -After many complicated movements in the lower valley of the Metauro, -attended with no decided advantage, and important only as having -enabled the youthful Giovanni de' Medici to flesh that sword which -soon after won him the laurels of a bright but brief career, the -papal army sat down before Mondolfo. The resistance of that small -town was encouraged by the state of the besiegers, and embittered by -their savage reputation. The Minio despatches of this date represent -them as suffering from a scarcity of provisions and a dearth of bread -and wine, adding that "the captured castles envy the dead, by reason -of the cruelties practised on the survivors." Its garrison consisted -of two hundred Spaniards and three hundred militia, so determinedly -supported by the inhabitants, that breaches opened during the day -were made up before morning, mines were met by counter-excavations, -and subterranean galleries were often scenes of death-struggles. -Provoked by this obstinacy, Lorenzo swore never to raise the siege -until he had razed the place to its foundations, put the males to the -sword, and handed over the women to the Devil's service. But in the -end of March, a few days after he had uttered this savage bravado, -his own career was arrested. Whilst, with more bravery than prudence, -he served a battery in the dress of a common soldier, a Spaniard, to -whom his person was known, marked him from the walls, and shot him as -he leaned upon a cannon to take aim. The ball took effect above the -left ear; and the wound extended down his neck to the shoulder.[273] -He was removed to Ancona, and for above a week continued in extreme -danger, refusing to be trepanned; but by the end of the month his -convalescence was complete. - -[Footnote 273: This account is adopted by Leone, p. 230, by Sismondi, -and by Centenelle, Vat. Urb. MSS. No. 907. Baldi (Vat. Urb. MSS. -No. 906) and Guicciardini say that Lorenzo, having undergone much -personal fatigue at the battery, was walking away to repose himself -in a sheltered spot, when a bullet from the walls hit him on the -head, grazing his skull to the nape of the neck.] - -The Pontiff "evinced extreme grief" at so untoward an accession to -the mishaps of this ill-advised and unlucky campaign. It had hitherto -been conducted by Renzo da Ceri and Vitellozzo Vitelli, who were -supposed to thwart the usurper from an apprehension that he might -become another Cesare Borgia. The Cardinal de' Medici, however, -attributed these successive miscarriages to the incapacity of Renzi, -and seriously complained to the Venetian envoy that, in consequence -of his reputation in the Signory's service, "we engaged him for this -undertaking, and don't perceive that he has effected anything. While -he commanded a small infantry force, he appeared never to be idle for -a day, yet, since he has been at the head of an entire army, he has -contrived to demean himself very ill, and to show that he is not a -man of great exploits." It will be curious to find this very officer -afterwards employed by the Cardinal when Pope, and fully bearing out -the mean opinion here expressed of him, when his present impugner had -the folly to instruct him with the defence of Rome itself. - -Neither the dissatisfaction of his subjects nor the coldness of his -allies inclined Leo to abandon an enterprise which exhausted his -resources and bathed Italy in civil blood. Thundering forth a new -and more severe excommunication against Francesco Maria and his -abettors, he, on the 30th of March, despatched a cardinal legate to -the camp, under whose command things went from bad to worse. The -defence of Mondolfo was protracted with extraordinary resolution. -Even after a large space of wall had been thrown down by two mines, -the besiegers were kept at bay during ten hours of hard fighting, -whilst the women supplied missiles and coppers of boiling water, and -the priests, waving aloft their crucifixes, mingled absolution of -the dying with prayers for the survivors. This vain struggle against -fearful odds ended in an ill-observed capitulation, in defiance -of which the town was sacked and set on fire. Two incidents may -illustrate the undisciplined state of the troops. Before entering -the place, two Spanish and a Ferrarese soldier agreed to share -equally their respective booty. Whilst the Italian fought, his -comrades were plundering, and eventually refused to divide the spoil -according to stipulation, an evasion in which they were backed by -their countrymen. The Ferrarese, with permission of his officers, -challenged his faithless partners, and a ring, or rather square, -having been cleared, by tying together eight pikes, he sprang into -it, armed but with sword and half-shield, offering to fight them -both at once, a proposal which they prudently evaded by surrendering -a just portion of their plunder. After the town had capitulated, "a -wrangle arose between an Italian and a German about a flagon of wine, -the former raising the shout of 'Italy! Italy!' the latter responding -'Germany! Germany!' Whereupon the infantry came to blows, and many -were killed on either side; and when, at the peril of his life, the -right reverend Cardinal had well nigh quelled the fray, an Italian -struck a German captain on the head with his musket and killed -him. This made the fight rage fiercer than ever, and the Spaniards -having sided with the Germans, the Italians were routed, and all -their quarters pillaged, including those of Signor Troilo Savello. -The army remains divided and dispersed; most of the Italians are -departed, whilst the infantry have betaken themselves towards Fano, -and continue thus separated." It is curious to detect in these and -similar incidents[274] an undercurrent of national feeling, during -that dreary age when the Peninsula was torn into sections by communal -policy and dynastic ambition. Had that cry of _Italia! Italia!_ been -then raised by her leading spirits, with earnest good faith, apart -from individual ends, how different had been her after fate and -present attitude! - -[Footnote 274: See above, p. 325.] - -The legate, who thus, with difficulty and personal danger, averted -a general massacre, was the Cardinal Bibbiena, not de' Medici, as -accidentally misstated by Roscoe. After long employing his diplomatic -talents against his former friend, the Lord of Urbino, he now -compassed his final ruin by exertions of the camp, for which he was -less qualified. The mutinous _melee_ which he had witnessed prepared -him for the discovery, that moneys raised by extraordinary exertions -were ill-spent upon an army "thrice as numerous on pay-day as in -action." It was, therefore, to the commissariat and finance that -his chief attention was given; but, warned by the recent explosion -of national antipathies, he separated the quarrelsome soldiery in -various cantonments around Pesaro. The Italians garrisoned the -city and Rimini, the Spaniards were encamped on the adjoining -Monte Bartolo, the Germans lay on the middle of that hill around -the Imperiale palace, the Corsi (Dalmatians) occupied the foot of -it, and the Gascons bivouacked on the adjacent plain. The last of -these were in very bad repute at Rome; and finding themselves kept -for several weeks in that exposed situation, many deserted to the -della Rovere camp at Ginestreto, near Montebaroccio. After letting -slip an apparently favourable opportunity for striking a blow at -these disorganised troops, Francesco Maria subsequently did so by a -surprise, which we shall narrate in his own words, addressed next -morning to the Duchess. - - "To the most illustrious Lady, my Consort, my lady Eleonora - di Gonzaga, Duchess of Urbino, &c. - - "Most illustrious Lady, my Consort, - - "Since the enemy took the field I have often wished to come - to action, and have used my ingenuity for this object, - little heeding their superiority to my brave band, both - in men-at-arms and in infantry, but all to no purpose. - At length, finding that his Reverence the Legate, Renzo - di Ceri, Vitelli, and their other principal leaders had - retired into Pesaro, with a host of men-at-arms, whilst - about three thousand foot, with the light horse and - the Gascon wings, lay on the road to Fano, the Spanish - lansquenets and the Corsi, to the number of at least six - thousand, being quartered in the Imperiale, there seemed a - chance of having at them. Accordingly, at half-past eleven - o'clock last night, on ascertaining their position, and the - most effective mode of attacking it, I advanced at the head - of my infantry and a detachment of cavalry. After passing - the Foglia, I sent the latter to a certain spot in the - plain, and, leading the rest by the hill-side to the summit - of the Imperiale, I charged the enemy about two hours after - daybreak, and, by God's grace and the gallantry of my men, - routed them ere they could form, killing, and taking many. - So sudden and vigorous was our onset over the rocks on the - seashore, that they were unable to gain their houses; and, - as we drove them with great loss over the hill, they were - intercepted below by my cavalry, so that between the two - few escaped. Some of the officers made their way into the - church of S. Bartolo, and into the palace of the Imperiale, - where they attempted to fortify themselves, but with a few - of my people I soon captured them all. We followed the - fugitives with great slaughter to the very gates of Pesaro, - the garrison of which, at least five thousand strong, would - neither support nor admit them, whilst the Gascons, though - witnessing the rout and drawn up in battle array, equally - withheld succour. Thus, without loss, we remained masters - of their camp, their colours, many prisoners, and all their - officers but two who were killed; and I, having taken up my - quarters here, hasten to inform your Excellency of these - particulars. - - "But I must not omit to tell your Ladyship how, three days - since, as Signor Troilo Savello, on his march from Rome - with fifteen hundred foot and some horse, was avoiding the - outpost at Sassoferrato, and attacking my castle of Sta. - Abonda, he was routed and rifled by a couple of hundred - infantry and a few cavalry from my garrison at Pergola, and - scarcely escaped being himself taken. In Montefeltro, too, - several incursions of the Florentines have been repulsed; - and between Massa and Lamole seven hundred of them, who had - taken post on a hill and in a very strong pass, were well - beaten and driven out of it by a hundred of my people. - - "I wished to give your Ladyship all these particulars, - that you may share with me the encouragement they afford - us. The favour which God has this morning vouchsafed us, - and for which our gratitude is due, gives me hope that - the justice of my cause will be daily advanced by new - successes; and so to your Ladyship do I commend myself: - from my joyous camp near Genestreto, 6 May, 1517. - - "_Consors_, FRANCISCUS MARIA DUX URBINI, &c. _ac - Alme Urbis Prefectus._"[275] - -[Footnote 275: Vat. Urb. MSS., No. 1023, art. vi.] - -To this spirited despatch little remains to be added. The assailants -ascended from the Rimini side, leaving below a strong body of horse -to cut off the fugitives. The troops being discouraged by the absence -of Maldonato's Spaniards, who had straggled behind, and by the late -hour at which, owing to blunders of their guides, they reached the -mountain, the Duke encouraged them with assurances that the chances -of success were greatest after daybreak, as the sentinels would -be less on the alert; and for an omen of victory, and a badge to -distinguish them from the enemy, he desired them to twine oak twigs, -emblematic of his name, round their headgear. He led their file in -person; and after a complete victory was left with eight hundred -prisoners on his hands, besides the entire camp equipage and much -booty. Next day the Gascons, who had not shared in the rout, came -over in a body to Francesco Maria, headed by Monsieur d'Ambras, who -returned to the court of Francis I., after publicly declaring that -he would no longer permit his men to be sacrificed by officers that -could neither protect them nor annoy their enemy, but would leave -them under a prince whose tactics and discipline were a pattern even -to his foes. This secession did not, however, prevent his master -bolstering up the papal policy by loans of 100,000 livres Tournois -to Lorenzo, and half that sum to the Pontiff, a course condemned by -Sismondi in his French history. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVI - - Continuation of the ruinous contest--The Duke finally - abandons it--Death of Lorenzo de' Medici--Charles V. - elected Emperor. - - -About this time a serious conspiracy against Leo was discovered. The -prime mover in it was Alfonso Petrucci, Cardinal of Siena, whose -property having been confiscated, and his family ruined by the -Pontiff, he burned for revenge, and induced one Battista, a famous -surgeon of Vercelli, along with the Pope's valet, to enter into his -views. Leo being ill of fistula, it was arranged that Battista, -who had procured recommendations as a skilful operator, should -introduce poison into the dressings. The plot was revealed in time, -and the Pontiff used every art, with promises of reconciliation and -renewed favour, to entice the principal culprit to Rome. Having -with difficulty effected this, he imprisoned him, along with his -brother-cardinals Raffaello Riario and Bandinello Bishop of Sauli, -along with the captain of the Sienese troops. Cardinal Alfonso was -secretly put to death; the surgeon and the valet were publicly hanged -and quartered; Sauli, condemned to perpetual imprisonment, was -liberated but to die; while Riario, after purchasing at a high rate -restoration to his escheated dignities, spent the brief remainder -of his life in voluntary exile. Cardinals Soderini and Adriano of -Corneto (the latter of whom held the sees of Hereford and Bath, and -was papal collector in England), having confessed in open consistory -their privacy to the plot, escaped from Rome. The former was saved -by chancing to ride out to the chase on a mule, instead of going as -usual in his litter, which followed at some distance, and was seized -by the guard in consequence of his scarlet robe being left in it, -whilst the culprit, in a simple chaplain's dress, fled to the Colonna -strongholds. A mystery which hung over the fate of Adriano has been -partially cleared up by my friend Mr. Rawdon Brown from the Sanuto -Diaries, wherein it appears that he safely reached Venice through -Calabria, and that the occasion of his unaccountable disappearance -was a journey to the conclave on Leo's death, not his flight from -Rome in the present year, as stated by Guicciardini, Valeriano, and -Roscoe.[276] - -[Footnote 276: Vat. Urb. MSS., No. 907, f. 28, 30. The Minio -despatches are full of details of this conspiracy unknown to Roscoe.] - -Thus baffled in the field, and betrayed in the consistory, Leo found -a great effort necessary. On the 20th of June he wrote a letter to -Henry VIII., which has been published by Rymer, representing, in -vague generalities, and abusive terms, the outrages committed against -the dignity and temporal dominion of the Church by relentless robbers -and adversaries, and enjoining him to contribute assistance, in the -way to be orally explained by the bearer, a predicant friar named -Nicholas.[277] He also made renewed instances with his other allies -for more efficient aid against his contumacious vassal in Umbria, and -sent to levy six thousand Swiss. In order to raise money for these -new expenses, he, on the 26th of June, created thirty-one cardinals, -thus at once filling his treasury with the price of their hats, and -surrounding himself by chosen adherents. Nor did he omit still more -profligate expedients. He had repeatedly profited by Maldonato's -perfidy in the Urbino war, and now offered him 10,000 ducats, with -the dignity of cardinal to his son, if he would deliver up Francesco -Maria alive or dead.[278] - -[Footnote 277: Rymer, vol. IV., p. 135. On the 21st of December -Lorenzo de' Medici had written to thank the King of England for his -good wishes conveyed through the Bishop of Worcester, then resident -at Rome. See a curious letter of the following June, from Wolsey to -the usurping Duke, Appendix VI.] - -[Footnote 278: Centenelle, Vat. Urb. MSS. No. 907.] - -After the affair at Imperiale, the Papal troops keeping close in -their garrisons, Francesco Maria had recourse to a partisan warfare -of sallies and surprises, which greatly harassed them, but did -not give sufficient employment to his own somewhat unmanageable -levies. He had now ascertained from intercepted letters the full -extent of Maldonato's treason; but, ere he ventured upon making an -example, he thought it well to put his troops into good humour by -a foraging expedition, which should also free his own state from -their burdensome presence. Gian Paolo Baglioni, Lord of Perugia, -had, during the whole campaign, been in the field against the Duke -with three thousand men, and his relation and rival Carlo, exiled by -his intrigues from that city, besought Francesco Maria's aid for his -re-establishment. No proposal could have been more opportune, and the -Duke drew all his forces towards the vale of Tiber. - -But his army, disorganised by the intrigues of Maldonato and one -Suares (not the bearer of his cartel), broke out into tumult at -Cantiano, clamouring for pay or pillage, and both of these officers, -heading the mutiny, insulted and threatened their general. In this -predicament, his adherents quickly collected from the neighbouring -villages some money, church plate, and other valuables, which brought -the refractory troops into better humour; and the opportune news of -considerable booty having been obtained beyond the frontier, by the -advanced guard of Gascons, induced them to move upon the Pianello di -Perugia. The Spanish troops whom the Duke had brought from Lombardy -consisted of two battalions, that of San Marco under Maldonato, and -that of Verona under Alverado. The disaffection was confined to a -portion of the former, and had for some time been detected through -intercepted correspondence of their officers. On the march through -the Apennines, Francesco Maria gradually prepared their comrades of -Verona for the vengeance he had in store for the traitors. When all -was ready, he halted on a small plain, and, whilst the surrounding -defiles were being occupied by his staunchest adherents, he formed -the Spaniards into a square, with their officers in the middle, whom -he thus addressed: "Gentlemen and Captains! You are aware how I -entered this country under your protection, and how, in committing -myself into your hands, on your promise never in life or in death to -abandon me, I relied upon your long-established reputation that you -never had betrayed any of your leaders. I now, however, find that -some among you seek miserably to sell me, and so for ever stain your -honourable name; and this I presently shall prove, if you think fit, -with the double object of saving myself from assassination and you -from disgrace, but on condition that you shall at once take such -steps as you deem best adapted to rescue me from pressing peril, -and yourselves from lasting contumely." This harangue, falling upon -well tutored ears, was answered by shouts of "Death to the traitors! -reveal them at once!" Proofs were then read that Maldonato had -engaged to slaughter the Duke and Federigo del Bozzolo, for the -bribe of a life-pension to himself of 600 ducats, an episcopal see -to his son, and double pay during the whole campaign to his troops. -There is said to be a standard of honour among thieves; that of the -Spaniards was piqued by this melodramatic impeachment of their truth, -and the opportune discovery of further treasonable documents in the -baggage of Maldonato's mistress exasperated them to fury. That craven -captain threw himself at the feet of Francesco Maria, whom he had -recently insulted, and prayed for mercy; but the latter withdrew -from the square, saying that he left the affair to the soldiery. A -cry then arose, "Let the faithful officers come out!" They did so, -leaving eight whose names had been denounced, and who were instantly -massacred by the troops. Thus was the army saved from destruction by -the coolness and decision of its leader, and the companies of San -Marco and Verona, purged from the imputation of perfidy, were from -that day embodied in a single battalion. - -Having so happily scotched the vipers that endangered his safety, the -Duke of Urbino made his descent upon Perugia. After a short siege, -during which he extended his forays as far as Spoleto and Orvieto, -spreading alarm to the gates of Rome, that city capitulated on the -26th of May, receiving Carlo Baglioni as its master, and paying a -ransom of 10,000 scudi, which Vermiglioli, the biographer of Gian -Paolo, alleges the latter, with the bad faith usual in that age, -to have shared, although the money had been raised from his own -adherents. The same authority now estimates the Duke's army at twelve -thousand men, with which it was his intention to make a diversion -into the Florentine territory. But hearing that the Legate had taken -the field, he hurried back across the Apennines, though too late -to save Fossombrone and La Pergola. His wish of engaging the enemy -having been foiled by their retreat into Pesaro, he had recourse to -his former tactics of removing the seat of war from his own state, -and turned his arms against the more wealthy towns of the Marca. Many -of these, including Fabriano, Ancona, and Recanati, compounded for -exemption from military violence, by paying seven or eight thousand -ducats each. Corinaldo was saved by a well-timed sally, but Jesi, -contrary to the wish of Francesco Maria, was sacked by his Spaniards, -to whom his orderly and methodical way of laying the country under -contributions, and pillaging only the refractory, was far from -acceptable. - -The lesson he had given to these free lances appears for a time -to have borne fruit, and the following report by Minio, of a -conversation with the Pontiff, affords honourable testimony to their -steadiness, whilst it exhibits very graphically the character of the -contest at this juncture. "I afterwards inquired of his Holiness if -he had any news? He told me Francesco Maria was encamped under a -castle named Corinaldo, situated in the Marca, and that infantry had -been detached from his Holiness's army for its defence, so he hoped -not to be disappointed; a trust wherein I think the Pontiff will -be deceived, as he was regarding the other places. I said to him, -'It is a good sign, his inability to make any further progress, and -merely laying siege to a few inconsiderable castles;' and to this -his Holiness rejoined, 'He does it to raise money, as he did by the -other places.' He then told me that Don Ugo de Moncada had been with -the Spaniards, but was unable to make any settlement; adding, with an -air of surprise, 'I was willing to give them three arrears of pay, -yet they did not choose to come away, but despatched a friar to say -that should I undertake an expedition against the infidels, they are -willing to accept this offer, and serve.' I answered, that if so, -they were willing to fight against the infidels on the same terms -for which they now served Francesco Maria against the Holy See! The -Pope evinced little hope of an agreement with these Spaniards. On my -observing, 'The Viceroy [Don Ugo] has quitted Naples, we know not -wherefore, unless it be to come to your Holiness's assistance,' he -replied, 'They do say they are coming to aid me;' and then continued, -with a smile on his lips, 'See what a mess this is! The French -suspect these Spaniards of playing them some trick, and the Spaniards -fear lest the French, through Francesco Maria, should attack them in -the kingdom of Naples.' In order to elicit something more, I said -that I deemed it mere suspicion on either side; and he replied, 'It -is so.' I next asked how his Holiness stood with the Swiss? and he -answered, 'We shall have the Grisons, but the Cantons have not yet -decided, though they were to do so in a diet; at all events, I shall -have some, and I have sent them the pensions they required of me.'" -On the 14th of July, two days after this despatch, Minio reports that -Don Ugo had been dismissed by the Spanish troops, drawn up in three -fine battalions, with the following reply: "That they did not intend -to desert Francesco Maria, unless war were waged [by him] against -their most Catholic King, or some attempt made to occupy the kingdom -of Naples, or unless his Holiness shall commence hostilities against -his most Christian Majesty; in any other event they meant to keep -their faith to Francesco Maria, and would in no respect fail him." - -From various passages in the same envoy's despatches, it is clear -that these jealousies, though here ridiculed by Leo, were shared by -himself in a high degree: his own policy being generally hollow and -Machiavellian, he looked for no longer measure of good faith from -his allies. Ever since interest had been made at Bologna by Francis -I. in behalf of the Duke of Urbino, the Pontiff regarded him as at -heart adverse to all nepotic schemes upon that principality; and, at -this particular juncture, suspicion was strengthened by a variety -of circumstances, singly of little moment. Among these, were the -retention by his Holiness of Modena and Reggio; the apparent slight -of passing, in the late wholesale distribution of cardinal's hats, -over Ludovico Canossa, who, while legate in France, had gained the -King's affections, more perhaps than was approved at the Vatican; -the dilatory advance of those French lances long since promised -to Lorenzo de' Medici; but most of all the adherence to the della -Rovere banner of the Gascons, who owed at least a nominal allegiance -to the French crown. Influenced by these doubts, and the apparently -interminable expenses of this miserable and mismanaged contest, the -Pope so far lost heart, about the end of July, as to hint at an -accommodation. - -The Duke of Urbino's next move was to repeat at Fermo his Perugian -policy of restoring an exiled faction, by expelling Ludovico -Freducci, then head of the government, who after a gallant struggle -suffered a complete rout, with the loss of six hundred slain. The -Duke then directed his march upon Ascoli, but was recalled by -learning the approach of two thousand Swiss to reinforce the papal -troops. Hurrying to intercept them, he by forced marches suddenly -appeared near Rimini, where he found that, simultaneously with their -arrival, M. de l'Escu had at length brought up his three hundred -French gens-d'-arms, with instructions from Francis to arrange, -if possible, some issue to this unhappy war. Nor was the Legate -disinclined to the proposal, for the Pontiff had been playing a -ruinous game, which disgusted his allies, alienated his subjects, and -drained his treasury. - -An interview was, therefore, held at the monastery of La Colonella, -between the Duke, Cardinal Bibbiena, and the French captain. A -guarantee of 10,000 ducats of income in any residence he should -select was offered to Francesco Maria, if he would resign his state. -But he declared himself ready to die rather than so to sell it -and his honour, avowing, however, that if the Pope were resolved -to deprive him of his sovereignty on account of the Cardinal's -slaughter, he would abdicate in favour of his infant son, and carry -his army to Greece, to fight for the recovery of Constantinople. When -negotiations had been thus broken off, as described by Giraldi, the -smooth-tongued churchman, nothing abashed by the contrast of their -early familiarity with their present circumstances, invited him -to partake of a splendid collation. This he courteously declined, -and retired to breakfast with l'Escu, answering the Cardinal's -remonstrances by a jesting but pungent remark, that "priests kill -with wine-cups, soldiers with the sword." The Duke making somewhat -minute inquiries as to the Swiss reinforcements, the Legate -laughingly asked, "if he destined for them such a supper as he -provided for the Germans and Spaniards at the Imperiale"; to which -he rejoined, "And why not, if they are my foes?"[279] Nor was the -taunt lost upon him. Next night he led his men through the Marecchia, -and surprised the Swiss levies who were quartered in S. Giuliano, -a suburb of Rimini beyond that river. Notwithstanding a gallant -resistance, they were driven into the stream, with severe loss on -both sides, whilst Francesco Maria, after receiving a ball in his -cuirass, dexterously withdrew from his perilous position, under cover -of the smoke raised by a vast funeral pile, on which he left the -bodies of four hundred slain, amid a mass of combustibles. He now -resumed his projects of carrying fire and sword into Tuscany, and -reached the Upper Vale of the Tiber at Borgo S. Sepolcro, but, for -want of artillery, was unable to do anything against the fortified -places. The Duke's whole policy in this protracted and inconclusive -warfare has been severely blamed by Roscoe, and there can be no doubt -that, in his circumstances, rapid and aggressive tactics were most -likely to succeed. Had he, by a series of uninterrupted advantages, -maintained the impression made at his first onset, or had he risked -all in one engagement when his enemies had been daunted by Lorenzo's -severe wound, it is clear, from the Minio despatches, that Leo might -have been frightened into fair terms, at a moment when treason -was rife even within the Sacred College. The like result would, -perhaps, have been attained with greater certainty, had he, instead -of harassing his own territory and La Marca with an exhausting -civil war, carried his arms at once across the Apennines, and, by -threatening Siena or Florence, made it a question whether the Medici -were to lose Tuscany or gain Urbino. But we shall have ample reason, -in other instances, to perceive that procrastination was more -natural to him than energy, and, in the present case, delays for a -time appeared injurious to his enemies rather than to himself. It is, -however, fair to admit that, whilst his biographers continually claim -for him anxiety to bring on a decisive action, even the prejudiced -Guicciardini never accuses him of having evaded one. - -[Footnote 279: These anecdotes are preserved by Baldi, to whom, and -to Minio Centenelle and Giraldi, we owe many new details of this -campaign. Vat. Urb. MSS. No. 906, 907; Ottob. 3153.] - -A general feeling gained ground that this weary and wasteful strife -was approaching its close. The Duke's mercenaries, seeing no -prospect of their pay, which was contingent on complete success, and -dissatisfied with their limited opportunities for pillage, began to -look out for some more profitable engagement. Their most Christian -and most Catholic majesties had also combined to bring the struggle -to a conclusion, by recalling their respective subjects from the -army of Francesco Maria; nor did the Spaniards think it a disgrace -to entertain tempting offers for their secession from a cheerless -enterprise. Three of their captains accordingly went to Rome, on the -6th of August, apparently with his sanction, and offered for 60,000 -ducats to place the whole state of Urbino in the hands of these two -monarchs, for their award as to which competitor should be preferred. -The Pontiff at first made a show of entertaining this proposition, in -so far at least as regarded the duchy proper; but this was probably -a pretext for gaining time until the arrival of four thousand -lansquenets, whom he expected from the Emperor. Accordingly, on the -14th, in an audience with Minio, he denounced these terms as "the -most brutal possible, nor could Francesco Maria send to demand of -me what he does, were he the Grand Turk, and encamped at Tivoli! -He wants us to give him up the places we hold, namely, Pesaro and -Sinigaglia: see, by your faith, what notions he has! We really -desired this agreement, that we might attend to the Turkish affairs, -but these people are indeed elated and brutal." The like opinion -prevailed at Rome, and the imperial ambassador deprecated the -arrangement to his Holiness as disgraceful. It was therefore rejected -after some delay; nor was it until the papal court had taken new -alarm, on the Duke's movement into Tuscany, that the Spaniards were -bought off by the auditor of the treasury, who had been sent for the -purpose to their camp near Anghiari. He was met by the Duke, with -his faithful partisan di Bozzolo, and the Spanish captains. After a -protracted discussion, the former went forth, moved almost to tears, -exclaiming, "It is impossible for me to accept these terms." In his -absence it was agreed that the duchy should be given up to Lorenzo, -and that the Spaniards should accompany Don Ugo de Moncada towards -Naples, after receiving 50,000 ducats, under an obligation to serve -in reinstating Lorenzo in Urbino, if called upon to do so. - -On hearing these stipulations, Francesco Maria had an altercation -with the Spanish captains, which ended in his riding over to the -quarters of his other adherents, who yet remained faithful, and who -were with difficulty dissuaded from falling upon the renegades. An -idea now entertained, of making a last stand in the highlands with -that residue, was soon abandoned, for similar influences were at work -on them. But, mindful of their solemn obligation not to quit the -field until victory had crowned their enterprise, they resolved to -retire with honour intact. The Gascons, accordingly, by the mediation -of l'Escu and Guise, obtained from the Pontiff not only an exemption -from their engagement, but such a capitulation for the Duke of -Urbino as he might, with due regard to his dignity, accept. In order -to persuade the latter to such a course as circumstances rendered -necessary, the entreaties of his friends were added to the pressing -instances of Don Ugo and the French generals. The French and German -troops, after receiving 25,000 ducats, were to fall back upon Milan, -leaving him safely at Mantua; but the Italian soldiery appear to -have shared no part of this golden harvest. - -The conditions obtained for Francesco Maria were as follows: -Plenary absolution for himself, his family, and adherents, from -ecclesiastical censures; permission to him and them to retire where -they pleased, and to take any service except against his Holiness; -leave to remove all his private property in arms, artillery, and -furniture, especially his MS. library; the enjoyment of their -usufructuary rights to the dowager and reigning Duchesses; a general -amnesty and exchange of prisoners, including Sigismondo Varana. This -convention was accepted by his Holiness on the 16th of September, and -it fell to Bembo's lot, as papal secretary, to affix his signature -to what he, perhaps, persuaded himself were favourable terms for his -former friend and benefactor. - -The conduct of the Spaniards was regarded with universal contempt -and disgust. As they withdrew towards the Neapolitan territory, a -formidable band four or five thousand strong, the men of Gubbio stood -on their defence, but those of Fabriano, less alert, were surprised -and pillaged to the value of 2000 scudi. "But if the wretches sinned -at Fabriano, they did penance at Ripatrasone; for, in trying to sack -it also, many of them were slain, and the survivors were taken to -Gerbe, in Africa, where they nearly all died,--some from drinking too -much, some from drinking too little. The former by great good luck -were drowned, and the latter, marching through that country in the -parching summer heats, with water scarce, and no wine, perished of -thirst; so that they had better have followed the Duke to marvellous -enterprises and mighty gains, rather than have left to the world a -degraded name." There is something quaint in the concentrated rancour -wherewith Giraldi thus dismisses these selfish adventurers; and not -less so in the following rustic memorial. Grateful for their escape, -comparatively scathless, from perils which nearly menaced them, the -people of Maciola, a village two miles from Urbino, placed in their -church a votive picture to the Madonna, which is still inscribed with -these simple verses:-- - - "A horrible war [raged] in the state of Urbino, - In fifteen hundred and seventeen, - [With] many troops brave and chosen - Led by the Duke Lorenzino, - When Francesco Maria into his duchy - Was returned, with capital troops, - Spaniards, Mantuans, and other clans, - Each one a paladin in arms; - Urbino then, and all the district, - Being in great peril and dread. - Oh, Virgin Mother! ever kind to us, - Often did the host approach our walls, - And God alone it was who defended them: - Therefore has been dedicated to thee this image by thy worshippers - Of Maciola, with their grateful vows." - -In the war thus concluded, Francesco Maria struggled for eight -months, single-handed and penniless, against the temporal and -spiritual influence of the Holy See, backed by all the continental -powers. Unable to carry his object by a coup-de-main, he was in -the end vanquished by the superior resources of his oppressor. -In a parting address to his subjects, he assumed the tone of -victory, asserting that he withdrew, not under compulsion, but from -consideration of their interests, which a prolonged struggle must -have deeply compromised. Thus retiring with honour, he promised to -return to them with glory, when he could do so without detriment to -their welfare. He was escorted by l'Escu as far as Cento, whence he -rejoined his family at Mantua, presenting his consort with sixty-four -standards, taken during this brief and unequal campaign, wherein his -talents had been developed, his character strengthened, his fame -extended. - -We have dwelt somewhat minutely--it may be tediously--upon these -events, for the contest was one of vital moment to Francesco Maria, -his duchy being at once the theatre of operations and the guerdon -of victory. Yet this petty war was pregnant with results of wider -interest; for the enormous drain of money it occasioned so aggravated -the financial difficulties of the papacy, as to bring to a crisis -those abuses which finally matured the Reformation. The Minio -despatches abound in proofs of the desperate state to which the -treasury was reduced, and of the simoniacal expedients resorted to -for ready money. One of these may be noted as compromising Bembo, -who so often re-appears in these pages. He and Sadoleto had, since -Leo's accession, monopolised his private brieves, which afforded -them a handsome return, from gratuities and bribes, to the exclusion -of the other papal secretaries. Now, however, the latter offered to -their needy master a purse of 25,000 ducats, if admitted to share -the spoils, which was greedily accepted, without regard to vested -interests; and his Holiness was delighted to find the purchase-money -of his ordinary secretaryships thereby raised at once from 6000 to -7000 ducats each. The imposition of one tenth laid on the clergy, -avowedly for the proposed Turkish crusade, was absorbed by this -Urbino campaign, which was thought to have cost the Holy See thirty -thousand men, and a million of scudi. Even Henry VIII. was applied -to for a loan of 200,000 ducats, which he characteristically evaded -by offering 100,000, on condition of levying for himself the clergy -tenths. But let us take the Pontiff's own statement, volunteered -to Minio:--"See, by your troth, what a business this is! The war -costs us 700,000 ducats; and we have been so ill served by these -ministers, that worse cannot be imagined: this very month we had to -disburse 120,000. When we commenced the war we had some few funds, -which we had not chosen to touch, but the Lord God has aided us. We -should never have thought it possible to raise 100,000 ducats, and -we have obtained 700,000; see how astonishing this is! Had we deemed -it possible to obtain 700,000 ducats, we would have undertaken the -expedition against the Turks single-handed." - - * * * * * - -But where was the minion for whom all this crime and misery had -been perpetrated? From Ancona he paid a brief visit to the Vatican, -on his way to Florence, where he slowly recovered from his severe -wound, only to plunge deeper in debaucheries more congenial to his -degraded character than the privations of military life. He was -never named during the rest of the contest, but as soon as it was -over he met his uncle at Viterbo, where, and in the neighbouring -country, the papal court passed most of October in field sports. His -hard-won sovereignty seems to have afforded him little satisfaction -or interest; but in the following year he became an instrument -for the further promotion of his uncle's ambition. His marriage -having been negotiated through Cardinal Bibbiena to Madelaine de la -Tour, daughter of Jean Count of Boulogne and Auvergne, a relation -of the French monarch, the titular Duke of Urbino proceeded to -Paris in the spring of 1518, for the double ceremonial of his own -nuptials, and the Dauphin's baptism, at which he stood sponsor on -the 25th of April, as proxy for the Pontiff. Both these events -were celebrated with much festive merriment in the gay capital of -France, and the young couple were overwhelmed by splendid dowries -and wedding-gifts by the Pope and the Monarch. But their bridal joy -was of brief duration. The Duchess died in childbed on the 23rd of -April following, and was followed to the grave five days after by -her husband, who expiated with his life the dissolute vices in which -he had continuously indulged. Their child survived to be a scourge -of the Huguenots, in the person of Catherine de' Medici, wife of -Henry II. of France, mother of Francis II., Charles IX., and Henry -III.,--in the last of whom the line of Valois and the descendants of -Duke Lorenzo became extinct. - -Hearing of Lorenzo's desperate state, the Pope despatched Cardinal -Giulio de' Medici to maintain at Florence the supremacy of his -house. The titular dukedom of Urbino passed, in terms of the -new investiture, to the infant Catherine; but the territory was -unceremoniously seized by his Holiness, notwithstanding the wish -of its inhabitants for restoration of their legitimate sovereign. -Montefeltro, with S. Leo and Maiuolo, was assigned to Florence, in -security or compensation for 150,000 scudi said to have been advanced -in the late war, and the remainder of the duchy was annexed to -the Church. The walls of its capital, whose loyalty to its native -princes amid all their reverses is finely commemorated in the current -appellation of _Urbino fidelissimo_, were thrown down, and its -metropolitan privileges transferred to Gubbio, which had shown itself -less devoted to the della Rovere interests. - - * * * * * - -We may here mention the fate of Gian Paolo Baglioni, known to us, -in 1502, as one of the confederates of La Magione, who, in the -quaint words of an unpublished chronicle, escaped the violin-string -of Michelotto at Sinigaglia "to fall into the pit which he had -digged." We have more lately seen him, in 1517, buying off Francesco -Maria from the city of Perugia, with a bribe shared by himself, and -have at the same time alluded to the broils there raging between -various members of his family. These it would be beyond our purpose -to follow; but they were attended by a series of bad faith on his -part, and of suffering on that of the people, which gained for him -the merited title of tyrant of Perugia. Less, perhaps, with the -intention of vindicating the latter, than of liberating himself from -a talented and unscrupulous vassal, who, long accustomed to rule -supreme in that city, ill brooked and scarcely yielded that obedience -to the Holy See which Julius II. had imposed on him in 1506, Leo -summoned Gian Paolo to Rome in 1520, with amicable professions. There -he arrived on the 16th of March, and next day sought an audience of -the Pontiff in S. Angelo, the gates of which were immediately closed -upon him as a state prisoner. After he had lingered for some months -in mysterious durance, unconscious of the charge brought against him, -a plan was formed to liberate him, disguised as a woman who visited -the castellan; but at that juncture the Pope, who, according to the -gossip of a contemporary diarist, had dreamt at La Magliana of a -mouse escaping from a trap, sent a summary order for his execution, -which took place secretly on the 11th of June. - -The singular good fortune which accumulated coronets and crowns -on the brows of Charles V., until he found himself sovereign by -inheritance of a large portion of Europe, here demands our notice. -The Emperor Maximilian had, by Mary, daughter and heiress of Charles -the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, a son Philip, who predeceased him in -1506, after marrying Joanna, daughter and heiress of Ferdinand -and Isabella of Aragon and Castile. Joanna being disqualified -by mental imbecility, the united crowns of Spain devolved, on -the death of Ferdinand in 1516, to her son Charles, who already -held the Netherlands through his grandmother, Mary of Burgundy. -As representative of the house of Aragon, he was also sovereign -of Naples and Sicily; but the former crown required the papal -investiture, which Leo was loath to bestow, partly with a vague -hope of reserving it for one of his own race, partly from aversion -to the establishment of a new line of foreign rulers in the Italian -peninsula. On the death of Maximilian in January 1519, without -having formerly received the imperial crown, his grandson, Charles, -stepped into Austria, as his natural heritage, and sought still -further aggrandisement by offering himself candidate for the throne -of Germany. Little as the balance of power was then comprehended in -European policy, this young monarch's rapid acquisitions called forth -many jealousies. Francis had a double motive for standing forward -as a competitor for the empire;--the dignity was flattering to his -gallant character and ambitious views, and he grudged it to a younger -rival, whose overgrown territory already hemmed him in on every side. -Leo, at heart disliking them equally, as ultramontane sovereigns -formidable to Italy, on the ruins of whose freedom were based the -successes of either, sought to play them off against each other, so -as to weaken and embarrass both. But in spite of these intrigues, -Charles was elected emperor on the 28th of June, 1519, when but -nineteen years of age. - -The Pope had covertly supported the claims of Francis, with whom he -intended some ulterior combination for expelling the Spaniards from -Lower Italy. But the accession of strength which their sovereign thus -acquired gave Leo an excuse for changing sides, an evolution grateful -to his faithless nature. The struggle was once more to be made in -Lombardy, and, as Charles was bent upon wresting the Milanese from -his rival, the opportunity seemed tempting of recovering Parma and -Piacenza for the Church by his means. To men in the Duke of Urbino's -desperate position, any convulsion would be welcome, as offering the -chance of better things. The impression left by his biographers, that -he maintained a cautious neutrality in the contest thus opening, -is disproved by some documents in the Bibliotheque du Roi, which -establish him as a retained adherent of the French monarch.[280] -One of them is an undated draft of articles proposed by him, his -nephew Sigismondo Varana, Camillo Orsini, the Baglioni, and the -Petrucci, as conditions of their entering the service of Francis, -with the usual pay and allowances. They stipulated for his constant -protection and support in the recovery of their respective states, -and for the restoration of various allodial fiefs claimed by them -in Naples, as soon as Francis should, with their aid, regain that -kingdom. Francesco Maria, finding it necessary to quit the territory -of his brother-in-law Federigo, now Duke of Mantua, who had been -named captain-general of the ecclesiastical forces, and to surrender -the allowance of 3000 scudi, hitherto made by him for the Duchess's -maintenance, asked a pension of equal amount from his new ally, -together with 1500 scudi in hand, to meet the expense of removing -his family to a place of security, probably Goito. He accompanied -these overtures with a plan for very extended operations upon Central -Italy, whereby, with the assistance of Venice and Genoa, armaments -by sea and land were to be directed in overwhelming force, at once -against Tuscany and the Papal States. The result of this negotiation -does not appear, but the only one of its provisions which seems to -have taken effect was the Duke's pension, for which he writes thanks -to the French Monarch from the camp of Lautrec on the Taro, the 27th -of September, 1521. Giraldi mentions that he suddenly quitted the -French service in consequence of a slight from Lautrec at a council -of war, and he appears then to have retired to Lonno on the Lago -di Guarda. From that lovely spot he watched the course of events, -until the wheel of fortune should bring round his turn. The ladies -of his family meanwhile lived in great seclusion at Mantua, and on -the 19th of July, 1521, the dowager Duchess writes him, that she -and his consort frequented the convents, soliciting from the nuns -their prayers that God would direct his counsels, and vouchsafe -the fulfilment of his wishes.[281] As the strife approached, these -distinguished ladies withdrew to Verona. Upon its progress we need -not dwell. By his oppressive sway Lautrec had rendered the French -name odious at Milan, and when the confederate army approached its -walls, bringing with them Francesco Sforza, second son of Ludovico -il Moro, and brother of Maximiliano their last native sovereign, the -people hailed them as liberators, and expelled their foreign masters. - -[Footnote 280: MOLINI, _Documenti di Storia Italiana_, I., -pp. 122, 135.] - -[Footnote 281: Oliveriana MSS. No. 375; I., pp. 51, 75.] - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVII - - Death of Leo X.--Restoration of Francesco Maria--He - enters the Venetian service--Louis XII. invades the - Milanese--Death of Bayard--The Duke's honourable reception - at Venice--Battle of Pavia. - - -News of the evacuation of Milan by the French reached Leo X. at -his hunting-seat of La Magliana, five miles down the Tiber from -Rome. Though not quite well, he hurried to his capital on the -24th of November, to witness the bonfires and rejoicings at their -discomfiture, and on the morning of the 1st of December was found -dead in bed.[*282] The mystery attending this sudden death of one in -the prime of life has never been cleared up. Suspicions of poison -were rife at the time, and have not been removed; they point at -the Duke of Urbino or of Ferrara, whom he had grievously outraged, -or at Francis I., whom he recently disgusted, as its probable but -undetected author. In absence of tangible accusation or tittle of -evidence, it seems needless to repel such a charge from Francesco -Maria, especially as other accounts impute the Pontiff's dissolution -to malaria fever, to a severe catarrh,[283] to debauchery, or even -to excessive exultation at the joyful news. So unexpected was the -event that there was not time to administer the last sacrament, a -circumstance which gave occasion to this bitter epigram, in allusion -to the notorious venality of church privileges during his reign:-- - - "Why were not Leo's latest hours consoled - By holy rites? such rites he long had sold."[284] - -[Footnote *282: He seems to have received the news at La Magliana -on November 25th. He returned to Rome at once. The illness was not -considered serious till November 30th. He died on the evening of -December 1st. Cf. PARIS DE GRASSIS, in ROSCOE, _Leo X._, App. -CCXII.-IV., and clerk's letters of December 1st and 2nd, in BREWER, -_Calendar_ (1824-5).] - -[Footnote 283: Such is the opinion of a monkish chronicler who wrote -in 1522. Vat. Urb. MSS. No. 1023, f. 297. Even in 1517 the Venetian -envoy Giorgi reported him as afflicted by an internal plethoric -disease, a catarrh, and fistula. Vettori discredits the rumours of -poison, and Guicciardini says they were hushed up by his cousin the -Cardinal, lest they should give umbrage to the French monarch, with -whom it was his interest to stand well at the approaching conclave. -On the whole, the opinion of most weight is that of the Master of -ceremonies, who distinctly asserts that poison was detected on a -_post-mortem_ examination. Roscoe's innuendo inculpating Francesco -Maria is a glaring proof of his aptitude to do scanty justice to that -Duke, whose admitted hastiness of temper cannot, in absence of one -contemporary or serious imputation, be considered any relevant ground -for suspecting him of slow and stealthy vengeance. Another Venetian -ambassador mentions, in proof of the utter exhaustion of the papal -treasury, from the profusion of Leo and the greed of his Florentine -retainers, that the wax lights used at his funeral had previously -served for the obsequies of a cardinal.] - -[Footnote 284: - - "Sacra sub extrema si forte requiritis hora - Cur Leo non potuit sumere? vendiderat." - - _Bibl. Magliabech. MSS._, cl. vii., No. 345.] - -Tidings so momentous to Francesco Maria reached him when on a visit -to the Benedictine monastery at Magusano, on the Lago di Garda. He -had audience on the same day with Lautrec and Gritti, the French and -Venetian commanders, who bade him God-speed. Hurrying to his consort -at Verona, he there spent two days in consulting with such friends -as were at hand, and despatching courtiers to others, his resolution -being taken to strike a speedy blow for recovery of his state. The -impoverished finances of the papacy encouraged the attempt, and he -was quickly in communication with Malatesta and Orazio Baglioni, who -had been in like manner despoiled of Perugia. But before assuming -offensive operations, he commissioned a special envoy to lay before -the conclave a statement of his grievances, and a justification of -the measures he was about to pursue.[285] In two days more he reached -Ferrara, with the Baglioni, at the head of three thousand foot and -above five hundred horse. On the 16th he was at Lugo, where, and all -along his route by Cesena, numerous reinforcements poured in. "His -subjects," to borrow the words of Muratori, "desired and expected -him with clasped hands, because they loved him beyond measure for -his gracious government." Anticipating a renewal of his "Saturnian -reign," they, on his approach, flew to arms, threw the lieutenant of -Urbino out of the palace window, and welcomed him with the well-known -cry of "Feltro! Feltro! the Duke! the Duke!" - -[Footnote 285: Vat. Urb. MSS. No. 921.] - -Pesaro received him on the 22nd, after a slight hesitation as to -their relations with the Church; but the citadel was held by eighty -men, there being no artillery at hand to bring against it. In -absence of cannon-balls, it was carried by paper pellets thrown in -from cross-bows, on which were written offers of a thousand scudi -to the castellan, and twenty-five to each soldier. The terms were -accepted, and the money advanced by Alfonso of Ferrara. On the day of -the Duke's arrival there, a deputation from Urbino laid its homage -at his feet, and, being thus secure of his own subjects, he turned -to succour his friends. Taught by the lesson of three successive -pontificates, whose policy it had been to crush the feudatories of -Umbria, he saw the necessity of making common cause with such of -these as still maintained a precarious independence. He therefore -undertook the re-establishment of his nephew, Sigismondo Varana, -and of the Baglioni, ere he devoted himself to the consolidation -of his own authority. After two days' repose in Pesaro, he marched -by La Pergola to Fabriano, where, hearing that Sigismondo had been -cordially received at Camerino, he, on the 28th, turned towards -Perugia, and, by the 5th of January, had reinstated the Baglioni, -notwithstanding a spiritless resistance by their uncle Gentile, and -by the vacillating Vitelli. Contrary to his own judgment,--but, as we -shall presently see, by a happy chance,--he was induced to accompany -his Perugian allies with seven thousand men in a foray upon Tuscany, -for the double purpose of annoying the Medici, by whom Gentile was -supported, and of re-establishing Pandolfo Petrucci as tyrant of -Siena.[*286] When, however, he found no responding movement from -within, and that the army of Giovanni delle Bande Nere was hovering -in the neighbourhood, he withdrew to Bonconvento, and endeavoured to -gain credit for his forbearance by despatching to the magistracy of -that city the following oily missive:-- - - "Most illustrious and most excellent Lords, much honoured - Fathers: - - "The true, ancient, and cordial friendship which has ever - existed between your lofty republic and my most illustrious - house, and the recollection I retain how invariably my - distinguished predecessors have been united in special - good-will with your city of Siena, induce me, being of the - same sentiments, to follow in the steps of my said most - eminent ancestors, resolving that there shall never be - any failure on my part towards your noble commonwealth. - And in order that your Excellencies may at present have - some proof of this, I have, for the peace and order of - your town, adopted the resolution which your envoys will - comprehend from the tenor hereof, and which I feel assured - cannot be otherwise than welcome and acceptable to you. - I therefore pray you not only readily to give the like - credence to what these envoys will tell you on my part, as - you would to myself, but also to bear in mind the close and - affectionate amity wherein I am most ready to persevere, - nor on your side restrain or fall short of our wonted and - long-established kindliness, increasing, and, if possible, - extending it by an ampler interchange of charity; for you - will assuredly ever find me prepared and ready to benefit - and uphold your republic as much as your Excellencies could - ever desire, to whom I offer and commend myself. From - Bonconvento, the 15th of January, 1522. - - "FRANCISCUS MARIA DUX URBINI."[287] - -[Footnote *286: Fabio, not Pandolfo Petrucci. The latter died at S. -Quirico, in Osenna, in May, 1512. Borghese Petrucci, his son, soon -became the "best hated man in Siena." Four years after his father's -death both he and Fabio were declared rebels. Leo X. put Raffaello -Petrucci in Borghese's place. Raffaello died in 1522, and then some -of the _Nove_ brought back Fabio, who had married Caterina de' -Medici, niece of the Pope. But after a rule of less than two years he -was again an exile. "Thus," says Ferrari, "the Petrucci returned to -their primitive obscurity." Cf. LANGTON DOUGLAS, _A History -of Siena_ (Murray, 1902), p. 212.] - -[Footnote 287: From the Italian original in the Archivio Diplomatico -at Siena.] - -In truth, the Duke's own affairs required his full attention, for the -power of the Medici, though shaken, was still formidable, and its -natural representative, the Cardinal Giulio, was influential in the -Sacred College, and almost sovereign at Florence. Francesco Maria -therefore observed a prudent neutrality, when the Bande Nere advanced -to support the claims of Gentile Baglioni upon Perugia. These, being -warned off the ecclesiastical territory by the consistory, turned up -the valley of the Tiber, and, passing the Apennines, made a descent -upon Montefeltro, where they plundered until the end of February,--an -outrage for which the Cardinal was greatly blamed, as a convention -had already been signed between him and the Duke for their respective -states of Florence and Urbino. Much light is thrown upon these very -complicated transactions by a careful examination of Castiglione's -letters. To his dexterous diplomacy that convention seems to have -been chiefly owing. He endeavoured to clench the reconciliation by -an engagement for Francesco Maria in the Florentine service, and a -marriage between Prince Guidobaldo of Urbino and Caterina de' Medici, -daughter of Lorenzo, and heiress of his pretensions. The failure of -this plan, from backwardness on the part of the Cardinal rather than -of the Duke, was, perhaps, fortunate for the intended bridegroom's -domestic peace; and the contending claims which it was meant to -solve never ripened into importance. The condotta had a better issue: -avowedly for but one year, it seems to have been intended rather to -neutralise a troublesome foe than with the idea of calling the Duke's -service into actual requisition. Indeed, although he was nominally -captain-general, with 9000 ducats of pay, besides 100 broad scudi for -each of his two hundred men-at-arms in white uniform (three mounted -soldiers counting as one man-at-arms), this was expressly their -peace establishment and pay, to be increased in case of war.[288] -Castiglione's success in these arrangements was facilitated by -his having confided to Cardinal Giulio a refusal at this time, by -Francesco Maria, of very flattering proposals from the French court, -and the same good offices extended to disabusing the Duke in the eyes -of Emanuel, the imperial ambassador, who, believing him committed to -Francis, was countermining his interests in the consistory, and with -the Cardinal. - -[Footnote 288: Archivio Diplomatico of Florence, May 25, 1522.] - -Whilst immersed in these transactions, the election in which he was -so deeply interested came suddenly to a conclusion, brought about -indirectly by his means. The choice of the conclave astonished -Italy, for it fell upon an ultramontane cardinal, unknowing and -unknown in Rome. Adrian Florent,[*289] a Fleming of humble birth, -was a man of mild temper, peaceful habits, and literary tastes. He -had been preceptor of Charles V., and held the see of Tortosa. This -selection so curiously illustrates the haphazard results, which -have not unfrequently baffled both policy and intrigue in papal -elections, that we may pause for a moment on the circumstances -alleged by Guicciardini to have brought it about. The Medicean party -had not strength, at once, to carry their Cardinal, in the face of -the old members of the College, who were adverse from introducing -the hereditary principle into their selection, yet hoped in time to -exhaust the patience or the strength of their seniors. But whilst -Medici and Petrucci were thus ingeniously devising delays, news -reached them of the Duke of Urbino's descent upon Tuscany, causing -them respectively to tremble for their supremacy in Florence and -Siena, and to question the policy of procrastinating at the Quirinal, -whilst interests so momentous were elsewhere in peril. In this -state of matters the Cardinal of Tortosa "was proposed, without any -intention of choosing him, but that the morning might be wasted; -whereupon his eminence of San Sisto, in an endless oration, enlarged -upon his virtues and learning, until some of the members beginning to -accede, the others successively followed with more impetuosity than -deliberation, whereby he was unanimously then chosen Pope. The very -electors could allege no reason why, at a crisis of such convulsions -and perils for the papacy, they had selected a barbarian pontiff, -so long absent, and recommended neither by previous deserts, nor by -intimacy with any of the conclave, to whom he was scarcely known by -name, having never visited Italy, nor had he any wish or hope to do -so."[290] The Roman populace resented a choice which they felt as an -insult, and as the cardinals emerged from durance, they were assailed -by execrations of the mob.[*291] - -[Footnote *289: Adrian Floriszoon, the son of a ship's carpenter -named Floris. His education was chiefly theological; humanism had not -penetrated Louvain.] - -[Footnote 290: Guicciardini, lib. xiv.] - -[Footnote *291: This account of Adrian VI.'s conclave is inaccurate -and confused. Cf. CREIGHTON, _op. cit._, vol. VI., pp. 216-222. The -Duke of Urbino seems to have had no influence in the conclave.] - -Francesco Maria had every reason to be gratified by an election -he had most unwittingly influenced, for the exclusion of Cardinal -Giulio was of vast importance to his interests, which must have -been seriously compromised by the nomination of a hostile pontiff, -at a moment when his affairs were in so precarious a juncture. He -accordingly lost no time in accrediting to Adrian VI. in Spain, -an envoy who pleaded his cause to such good purpose, that a bull -was issued on the 18th of May, reinstating him in all his honours, -including the prefecture of Rome, which, on the death of Lorenzo, -had been conferred upon Giovanni Maria Varana, uncle of Sigismondo, -whose state he had usurped under the sanction of Leo. Meanwhile his -respectful and judicious demeanour had obtained from the Sacred -College, before the Pope's arrival, an acknowledgment of his rights, -upon the following conditions, dated at Rome, the 18th of February. -"The Lord Duke of Urbino promises to accept neither pay, engagement, -nor rank from any prince or power, and to take service only with the -Apostolic See, should he be required; but if not called upon by it, -to attach himself to no party without leave and sanction from the -Pope, and the Holy See, as represented _ad interim_ by the Sacred -College. Also, he renews his obligation in future never to oppose -the papal state; and further, for due observance of these terms, and -more ample assurance of his Holiness and the Apostolic See, he binds -himself within one month to deposit his only son as a hostage, in the -hands of the Marquis of Mantua, captain-general of the ecclesiastical -troops. On the other hand, the Sacred College undertakes to defend -and protect the Lord Duke's person, as well as to maintain him in -peaceful possession of the castles, fortresses, cities, and towns, -held by him now or before his deprivation; and further, to use -influence with our Lord the Pope for his reinvestment in the same, on -the terms of his former tenure."[292] - -[Footnote 292: These articles are to be found in the Archivio -Diplomatico at Florence.] - -Nor was it only from the Medicean faction that the Duke's -tranquillity was threatened. Whilst his fortunes were yet in -suspense, he was warned by Castiglione, then diplomatic resident -at Rome for his brother-in-law the Duke of Mantua, that Ascanio -Colonna was agitating certain vague pretensions on the duchy of -Urbino, through his mother Agnesina di Montefeltro. The nature of -these claims, which were from time to time revived, is not very -intelligible. All authorities make Giovanna, wife of the Prefect, -older than Agnesina, wife of Fabrizio Colonna, both being daughters -of Duke Federigo. Thus, even supposing Francesco Maria's title -irretrievably annulled, by the deprivations he had successively -sustained from Julius II. and Leo X., if the old investitures did -confer any rights upon females, his nephew Sigismondo Varana, -grandson of Giovanna, would have excluded the Colonna. Ascanio's -intrigues were, however, neutralised by the dexterity of Castiglione, -and the influence of the Duke of Mantua, until Francesco Maria's -cordial reconciliation with the Church and the Emperor had rendered -his position secure.[293] Even the Medici thereupon refused to -promote the pretender's views, and his only adherent was Gian Maria -Varana, who, having within a few weeks succeeded in recovering -possession of Camerino, sought so to occupy the Duke of Urbino as to -prevent his espousing the cause of Sigismondo, its rightful lord. -The latter also looked for support to his wife's uncle, Cardinal -Prospero Colonna, whilst the interests of his competitor were backed -by Cardinal Innocenzo Cibo, his brother-in-law. But ere these -respective claims could be tested, they were sadly set at rest by -the death of "poor dear but ill-starred Sigismondo," as he is called -by Castiglione, who was set upon and slain on the 24th of June by -a band of assassins, whilst riding with five attendants near La -Storta. This foul deed, in accordance with the wild habits of that -age, and the fratricidal tendencies of the Varana family, was imputed -to Ascanio Colonna at the instigation of Giovanni Maria, uncle of the -victim. - -[Footnote 293: However these pretensions may have originated, they -derived a _quasi_ warrant in 1525, from a conditional investiture of -the duchy for three generations, granted by Clement VII. to Ascanio -"in case it should happen to lapse to the Holy See," Agnesina being -there mentioned as eldest sister. Charles V. was vainly solicited by -Ascanio to render this condition eventual, or by some other means -to make good his possession, and the claim did not drop until 1530. -Nor was it the only one vamped up on account of Duke Guidobaldo's -unfruitful marriage. In 1505 the Prince of Salerno seems to have made -similar pretensions through his mother, a sister still younger than -Agnesina; and in order to dispose of these, Julius II. is said to -have offered him his own daughter Felice, a union which however did -not take place.] - -When reassured of pacific and equitable measures, Francesco Maria -dissolved a defensive league for mutual maintenance, which he had -formed on the 4th of March with the Baglioni, Sigismondo, and the -Orsini, to which the Cardinal de' Medici was a party. The strongholds -of S. Leo and Maiuolo, however, remained till 1527 in the hands of -the Florentines, mortgaged for their advances to Leo in the late -war. During these complex negotiations, an offer from Lautrec of -service under the lilies of France was declined by the Duke, on a -plea of reserving himself for the disposal of his ecclesiastical -overlord. Nor was the opportunity he looked for long delayed. -Pandolfo Malatesta, on ceding to Venice his pretensions upon Rimini, -after being expelled therefrom by Duke Valentino, had accepted from -that republic the castle of Cittadella near Padua, with large pay -in their service. His son Sigismondo availed himself of the Pope's -absence, and the unsettled ecclesiastical policy, to surprise Rimini -and its fortress towards the end of May. The consistory hastily -mustered all their means to meet the emergency, and called upon the -Duke of Urbino as their vassal to take the field. His answer was that -without money he could do nothing. About the beginning of August -the _rocca_ was retaken by Giovanni Gonzaga for the Church; but the -place was not finally recovered till Adrian sent thither some Spanish -troops, when the people at length rose, and drove out the interloper, -whose cruelties had alienated all his supporters. In this paltry -fray the Duke appears to have lent some trifling aid, which the -Pontiff gratefully acknowledged in writing to Leonora on the 24th of -December. When it was over, he turned to the internal affairs of his -duchy, disorganised by the long and severe struggle of which it had -been the scene. In the spring of 1523 he brought home the ladies of -his family - - "Into their wished haven"; - -but of their once lively court we have little to record. Much had -occurred to chasten the naturally staid temperament of Duchess -Leonora. Retrenchment was imperatively imposed by accumulated -debts and dilapidated finances: the brilliant assemblage which had -frequented the saloons of Urbino seventeen years before was thinned -by death, scattered by dire events, alienated by ingratitude, or -seduced by newer attractions. - -It was at this time that Pesaro seems to have become the permanent -residence of the ducal establishment, although the original capital -was frequently visited by its successive princes. Sanuto's Diaries -afford us glimpses of life at that court, in detailing the journey -to Rome of four Venetian envoys in March of this year. They arrived -on Good Friday, half dead of fatigue, fear, and hunger, having -ridden one hundred and twelve miles in two days, through wretched -weather and a plague-stricken country. The two Duchesses of Urbino -immediately sent them a pressing invitation to transfer their -quarters from the inn to better lodgings. This was about sunset, and -twilight had scarcely set in when both these ladies arrived in a fine -gilt coach, lined with white cloth and trimmings of black velvet, -drawn by four beautiful black and grey horses. They were suffering -from fever, the younger Duchess having risen from bed expressly to -visit the envoys, and apologise for a reception which, but for so -unlooked-for an arrival, would have been more conformable to their -wishes. Yet the apartment was tapestried from roof to floor, the beds -with gold brocade coverlets, and the curtains very handsome. Next -morning, after breakfast, the guests went to the palace to wait upon -the Duchesses, who met them in the fourth ante-room, whence, after -sundry ceremonies, they handed the ladies and their attendants into -the presence-chamber, newly done up with arrases, gilding, and a dais -of silk. After conversing in an under-tone for three-quarters of -an hour, they retired with the like formalities. On Easter Sunday, -after vespers, they had an audience of leave, when the younger -Duchess, being very seriously indisposed, received them familiarly -in a bed-chamber so small that they could not all enter it, renewing -many excuses for their indifferent entertainment, in consequence of -the religious observances, and the recent arrival of the household -at Pesaro. On their return from congratulating the new Pontiff, the -envoys passed by Gubbio, where the Duchesses again surprised them by -a visit ere breakfast was over, attended by several lovely maidens. - -The engagement which Francesco Maria had accepted, to command the -Florentine armies for a year, did not call him from this retirement; -it was important only as indicating an apparent reconciliation -with the Cardinal de' Medici, to which the latter was induced by -apprehension that he might have otherwise proved a formidable -opponent to his interest in a future conclave. After a somewhat -serious illness, the Duke repaired to Rome, to offer his homage on -the arrival of Adrian in Italy, and was honourably received and -formally invested with his restored dignities. He rode there escorted -by two hundred lances, and was lodged by the Venetian ambassador in -the palace of S. Marco. His late eventful history rendered him an -object of general interest, and he was universally admitted to have -borne his reverses with firmness, his successes with moderation. -To commemorate these, he adopted this device, invented for him by -Giovio,--a palm-tree, whose crest was weighed downwards by a block -of marble, with the motto, "Though depressed, it recoils." This -emblem of valour and constancy, which adversity could bend but could -not break, he bore upon his banner and trumpets, and frequently -introduced it in his coinage. - -The repose of Italy was, as usual, of brief duration. Wearied of -those contests in which the ambition of France had for thirty years -involved the Peninsula, the leading powers began to regard Francesco -Sforza's maintenance in the duchy of Milan as their best guarantee -of peace. This policy was warmly adopted by the Emperor, interested -alike in the welfare of the Neapolitan territory, and in humbling -his rival Francis I. The result was a new confederation, to which -the Pope, the Emperor, Henry VIII., Venice, Milan, and Florence were -parties, but which brought on a general war, the very evil it was -intended to avert. Francesco Maria's condotta with the Florentines -being expired, he was named to succeed Teodoro Trivulzio, whose -supposed French tendencies occasioned his removal from command of -the Venetian troops. Those of the Church were committed to the -Marquis of Mantua, and Prospero Colonna was general-in-chief of the -League Lautrec and l'Escu[294] having been recalled, the Admiral -Gouffier de Bonnivet was sent into Lombardy to make good the title -of his master to the Milanese, whose daring spirit looked not beyond -the glory of encountering single-handed the armies of Europe. This -struggle, eventually so ruinous to Italy, so fatal to Rome, had -scarcely commenced ere Adrian was called from events which he was -in no respect fitted to direct. He died on the 24th of September, -1523,[*295] and was succeeded on the 19th of November by the Cardinal -de' Medici, as Clement VII., whose first act was an adherence to the -League. - -[Footnote 294: Odet de Foix, Seigneur de Lautrec, and the Seigneur de -l'Escu were both brothers of the chivalrous Gaston de Foix.] - -[Footnote *295: He died on the 14th September. For details, cf. Duke -of Sessa's letters in _Bergenroth_, pp. 597, 599.] - -Prospero Colonna did not long survive the Pontiff. From him, perhaps, -Francesco Maria adopted the over-cautious policy which marked his -military manoeuvres during the remainder of his life, and which -contrasts strongly with the dashing valour of his early career. For -this he has been severely blamed by Sismondi, and we shall see it -attended with very miserable results. Fortunately for the Duke's -fame, his reputation in arms had been firmly established before the -later and more important years of his military prowess arrived. Ere -the allies had completed their preparations, the French poured into -Lombardy, carried Lodi, and laid siege to Cremona. The Venetian -troops occupied the banks of the Oglio, where they were joined by -the Duke of Urbino, as soon as he had received credentials and -instructions from the senate; his own stipulated contingent, under -his lieutenant-general Landriano, having already effected a junction. - -Machiavelli, ever prone to cast reflections on mercenary troops, has -remarked that the Republic lost her superiority from the time that -she extensively employed them. This, however, is but a partial view -of the case. By their means, backed by their maritime supremacy, -and by her matchless diplomatic system, she gradually extended -her mainland territory, in spite of the unmilitary genius of her -people, until jealousy combined nearly all Europe against her in -the League of Cambray. But there was another fault inherent in -the organisation of her armies. Dark suspicion was the permeating -principle of her policy. Each branch of the executive jealously -watched the others. Magistrates distrusted their colleagues; fathers -set spies upon their sons, husbands upon their wives; governors and -governed doubted their paid troops, or countermined their selected -generals. The senate accordingly sent with their stipendiary forces -commissioners instructed to watch, and empowered to control, the -leaders--a check necessarily inducing dissension, for, as Macaulay -has happily remarked, what army commanded by a debating club ever -escaped discomfiture and disgrace? Under the title of _proveditori_, -these official spies performed some of the duties belonging to -commissaries-general; and although this plan for controlling soldiers -of fortune, who owed little fidelity to the cause, and whose ruling -principle was usually self-interest, might seem the result of wise -precaution, it practically occasioned perpetual embarrassments, and -fomented personal quarrels, paralysing operations in the field. Such -an _imperium in imperio_ had in this instance its usual results. -Distracted councils and divided responsibility hampered free action, -and rendered abortive the best-laid plans.[*296] Throughout the long -war now opening, the system was pregnant with peculiar mischief, and -it ought to bear much of the blame of that dilatory inefficiency -which is charged against Francesco Maria. Thus the Proveditore Emo, -at the very outset of this campaign, prevented him from crossing the -Oglio to harass the retreat of Renzo da Ceri, who, after loitering -away two months before Cremona, was recalled to the siege of Milan. -The Duke, however, soon after advanced to the Adda, and during the -rigour of winter occupied his troops in fortifying themselves at -Martinengo, from whence they were enabled to annoy the enemy by -continual forays towards Lodi.[297] - -[Footnote *296: As usual, Machiavelli is right. If the _proveditori_ -had so bad an influence (and it was doubtless bad) the results should -have been earlier seen, for it was an old custom with that Republic. -Francesco Maria, whom Dennistoun rates so highly as a soldier, as we -have seen, was not more harassed by these spies than his forerunners, -Carmagnuola Colleoni and Sigismondo Malatesta. The custom rose out -of the decision to employ no citizen as a captain-general. Nor was -Venice alone in this practice; Siena and Florence followed it too on -occasions.] - -[Footnote 297: Sismondi's strictures curtly express the judgment -pronounced upon Francesco Maria by those who follow, without -examination, the prejudiced narrative of Guicciardini. Yet, as -they are founded upon admitted defects in his generalship, it may -be well to lay them before the reader. "He was not deficient in -military talent, nor probably in personal courage, but, taking -Prospero Colonna as his prototype, he exaggerated his method. His -only tactics consisted in the selection and occupation of impregnable -positions; whatever his numerical superiority, he evaded fighting; no -circumstance, however urgent, could bring him to a general action; -and by his obstinacy in refusing to risk anything, he made certain -of losing all." But in estimating the commander we should not put -out of view the discouraging nature of the cause, which this author -elsewhere happily describes as a war without an object. *This applies -better to the petty wars of Central Italy at this time and in the -fifteenth century. Waged by paid captains, they may be said to have -been without an object, or rather with but one object--war itself. -One and all they ended in nothing, though here and there, as with the -Sforza, the condottiere managed to establish himself. There was not, -save in Florence, Milan, and Venice, a sufficiently strong economic -reason to cause a real war. Such as they were, these wars were due to -the greed of petty princes, in which the professional armies enjoyed -themselves (few being killed) in sacking towns and cities whose -inhabitants, altogether at their mercy, were the only victims. To -drag out the war and to avoid serious fighting as much as possible -were naturally the first objects of the average condottiere.] - -The command vacated by the death of Prospero Colonna was conferred -upon Don Carlos de Lanoy, Viceroy of Naples, who arrived at -head-quarters in the spring, and, upon drawing together the -confederates from their winter quarters, found himself at the head -of about twenty thousand foot, and four thousand lances and light -cavalry. Among their leaders were the Constable de Bourbon, the -Prince of Orange, and Don Ugo de Moncada, with all of whom we shall -often meet during the next few years. - -In the confederate army there were too many conflicting interests, -too many rival leaders; but it was the peculiar misfortune of the -Duke of Urbino to serve a power whose jealousy exceeded all rational -bounds. It was not without considerable persuasion that he obtained -of the Signory sanction to cross the Adda, and unite their troops, -amounting to twelve hundred horse and six thousand foot, with the -forces of the League. The first combined operation was directed -against Gherlasco, which Francesco Maria, though in command of the -rear-guard, was permitted to carry by assault with his own division, -being greatly aided by using explosive shells. From thence they -advanced to Vercelli, taking Trumello, Sartirana, and other places -by the way. This movement was intended at once to cut off supplies -from the French army posted at Novara, and to intercept a strong -body of Swiss, for whom they were anxiously waiting. The allies -having reached Vercelli, it became a race which army should first -gain the bridge of Romagnano, to the west whereof lay the Swiss -subsidy. The French had almost passed, when Lanoy fell upon their -rear, which suffered immensely in men, baggage, and artillery; and -their commander, Bonnivet, was wounded. The credit of all these -arrangements is claimed by Leone for the Duke of Urbino, whose -annoyance may be imagined when he found himself arrested from reaping -the full benefit of their success, by interference of Pietro da -Pesaro, the Proveditore. That officer, standing upon the engagement -of the Venetian contingent to serve only within the confines of the -Milanese, objected to their passing the Sesia, which here formed -its limit, and thus nullified the resolution of the confederates -to follow up their partial victory by such a well-timed attack as -might drive the enemy across the Alps. The indignant army appealed -to Francesco Maria to break through this official obstruction, but -the commissioner was right to the letter, and the stern Signory -sanctioned no latitude of construction on the part of its servants. -The Duke, however, gained his consent by private remonstrances, at -once temperate and energetic, but especially by threatening to throw -up his commission from the senate, and as a free captain to pass with -his own company into the allies' service, leaving the Proveditore, -with a disorganised contingent, to bear the whole responsibility of -losing so admirable an opportunity of cutting short a struggle, which -it was in every view the interest of his republic to close.[298] - -[Footnote 298: The details given by Paruta appear to bear out -this statement of the Duke's policy, but establish that, in the -eyes of his employers, his prudence and caution availed more than -dashing gallantry, an admission important in estimating his conduct -throughout the campaign of Lombardy, and throwing light upon the -hesitation which marked his subsequent career. Indeed, according to -this author, the orders of the Signory were to avoid fighting as much -as possible.] - -The conduct of the French troops devolved, in consequence of the -Admiral's wound, upon Piere de Terrail, Chevalier de Bayard, who was -not long spared in a command which the blunders of his predecessor -had rendered hopeless. On the 30th of April, whilst drawing off -the rear-guard under the enemy's fire, a shot fractured his spine. -Refusing to be carried from the spot, he had himself supported -against a tree, with his face to the foe, and continued to give his -orders with composure: at length, feeling the hand of death upon him, -he confessed himself to his faithful squire, kissing the hand-guard -of his sword as a substitute for the cross. The imperialists -remaining masters of the field, he was approached by the Constable -Bourbon, to whose words of sympathy and regret he sternly replied, -"Grieve not for me, but for yourself, fighting against your king and -country." His fall was reported to Charles V. by the imperial envoy, -Adrian de Croy, in these touching terms:--"Sire, although the said -M. Bayard was in the service of your enemy, his death is certainly a -pity; for he was a gentle knight beloved of all, whose life had been -as well spent as ever was that of any of his condition, as, indeed, -he fully testified at its close, which was the most beautiful I -ever heard tell of." Thus fell, in his forty-ninth year, the flower -of French chivalry, "the fearless and irreproachable knight." His -army evacuated Italy before the end of May, and the Duke of Urbino -being entrusted with the recovery of Lodi, found it defended by -his relation and attached comrade-in-arms, Count Francesco del -Bozzolo, who, perceiving his position hopeless, soon capitulated upon -honourable terms. - -After the ample details we had given of the comparatively unimportant -Urbino war, our rapid glance at the events in Upper Italy, from -1521 to 1526, may seem superficial. But as these Lombard campaigns, -although momentous to Europe, told very slightly upon the general -policy of the Peninsula, and as Francesco Maria bore no prominent -part in their varying results, we must be content to pass over them -thus cursorily, rather than to carry the reader too far from the more -especial object of these volumes. We may, however, pause for a moment -upon the reception accorded to the Duke at Venice, when summoned -thither to receive public thanks for his services, graphic details of -which are supplied by the unedited Diaries of Sanuto. - -After he had, in compliance with orders from the Signory, disbanded -their infantry, and disposed of their cavalry in the mainland -garrisons, he proceeded to the maritime capital. At Padua, the -rectors had been premonished to pay him every attention; at the mouth -of the Brenta, and on the outskirts of the city, he was met by two -deputations, each consisting of thirty young men of distinction, and -was addressed in a Latin oration, "which he did not understand." He -was then escorted to the Rialto; and, after being welcomed by the -Doge, and all the foreign ambassadors, except the French, he was led -on board the Bucentaur, an honour paid only to highest rank or rarest -merit; and thus, amid a flotilla of state galleys and gondolas, -crowded with a lively population in gala attire, their princely guest -was conducted along the grand canal, its palaces glittering with -brocades and arrases, its windows radiant with sparkling eyes and -rich carnations, such as Titian and Pordenone loved to commemorate in -glowing tints. The Duke wore a suit of black velvet, with frock and -cap of scarlet, and was housed in an apartment prepared at the Casa -di San Marco, near San Giorgio Maggiore, with fifty ducats a day for -his expenses. - -This festive welcome took place on the 25th of June. Next day -being Sunday, the Duke presented himself at the Collegio, dressed -in black damask over a white doublet, with a rose-coloured cap; a -small person, of indifferent presence [_poca presentia_]. He was -received outside of the audience-hall by the Doge and Signory; -when admitted, he spoke in a few words, and with low voice, of his -constant readiness to serve their state with life and limb. To -which the Doge replied, that he had acquitted himself well, but it -was their trust that he would do still better in future, and that, -being fully assured of his fidelity, they had selected him for -captain-general. The privileges of citizenship had been given him -many years before, in compliment to his uncle Guidobaldo, but the -general's baton was to be conferred upon him on the 2nd of July. In -deference, however, to the predictions of an astrologer, he requested -that his investiture might take place on the 29th of June, being St. -Peter's day. Accordingly, the magnates and diplomatic functionaries -of the most luxurious city in Christendom being assembled within -its picturesque and time-honoured cathedral, Francesco Maria, was -led in, magnificently arrayed in gold lama and damask, amid the din -of trumpets and bagpipes. After celebration of high mass, during -which he was seated on the Doge's left, the insignia, consisting of -a silver baton, and crimson standard with the lion in gold, were -blessed at the high altar, and consigned to his hands by the Doge, as -badges of authority, which he then swore to employ for the glory of -God, and for maintenance and defence of the Republic. This solemnity -was hailed by the spectators' shouts, the clang of bells, the crash -of martial music, the roar of artillery, and, as the Duke was -conducted to his gondola by a long procession of military and civil -dignitaries, the gorgeous piazza and gay canals displayed a splendour -unwonted even in Venice. - -Unfavourable rumours of the Duchess's health rendered him impatient -to be done with these honours, and were probably the true reason -for his desiring that the installation might be accelerated. But -the fashionable club or company della Calza so urged his remaining -for their festival, which had been fixed for the 3rd in compliment -to him, that he could not well refuse a short delay in order to be -present.[299] The sports were enacted on that usual scene of Venetian -magnificence, the grand canal, decked out in many-tinted draperies, -and thronged by gay parties. The club, with the Duke of Urbino and -other honoured guests, were conveyed in two large flat barges, -lashed together and beautifully curtained, wherein assembled the most -distinguished youths of both sexes, who revelled in music and dancing -as they glided along the glassy surface. At length they stopped at -the massive, but now crumbling, Foscari palace, to witness a race of -four-oared gondolas, and concluded the entertainment with a supper -on the Rialto. Next day their sports were renewed, with addition of -a dejeuner, where fancy confections were presented to the principal -guests--a triumphal chariot to Francesco Maria, an eagle to the -imperial ambassador, and so forth. - -[Footnote 299: See vol. I., p. 68, for a notice of this association, -so often mentioned in Venetian history.] - -On the 5th of July, after ten days spent in these monotonous -gaieties, the Duke returned to Pesaro in his twelve-oared barge; but -his repose there was brief, for the second act soon opened of that -bloody drama wherein the ambition of Charles and Francis involved -Italy. An incursion of imperialists into Provence under the renegade -Bourbon had shifted the scene to France; but the French monarch, -by a sudden movement across the Alps, transferred it once more -into Lombardy, and took possession of Milan. The Signory hastily -summoned their general from his duchy, to guard their frontier. The -established order of Italian policy, however, rendering it probable -that new and contradictory combinations would speedily arise, his -instructions were to act upon the defensive; and a like temporising -spirit prevailed in the councils of his Holiness, who secretly lent -an ear to proposals of Francis for a combined effort to shake off -the Spanish domination in Naples. The Duke's undecided tactics, so -condemned by Sismondi, were therefore in accordance with orders, -which the ever-present Proveditore took care were complied with. He -thus had no share in the great battle of Pavia, which crushed the -chivalry of France, accelerated the climax of Italian subjugation, -and rendered Spanish influence fatally paramount in Southern Europe. -It was fought on the 25th of February, 1525, and left Francis -prisoner in his rival's hands. Francesco Maria thereafter retired to -Casali, suffering from a combined attack of gout and tertian fever, -in which he was attended by his Duchess, who had hastened to see -him.[*300] - -[Footnote *300: The battle was fought on the 24th February.] - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVIII - - New league against Charles V.--The Duke's campaign in - Lombardy--His quarrels with Guicciardini--Rome pillaged by - the Colonna--The Constable Bourbon advances into Central - Italy--The Duke quells an insurrection at Florence. - - -The papal policy since the accession of Julius had been directed -to two leading objects. The first was to prevent any ultramontane -power from attaining a decided preponderance in Europe; the second, -to recover Italy from the barbarians, and restore its Neapolitan -and Milanese states to native dynasties.[*301] The only effective -check upon the unprecedented dominion of the Emperor having been -annihilated by the overthrow and imprisonment of his sole rival, it -became necessary for the Pontiff, in conformity with the former of -these purposes, to support the cause of France. The other object -was more than ever important, now that Milan was virtually at the -conqueror's mercy; and a proposition for confirming the sovereignty -of Sforza in that duchy, and placing the Marquis of Pescara on the -throne of Naples, appeared to His Holiness happily to meet the -exigencies of the case. Clement, possessing neither the discernment -of Julius nor the finesse of Leo, saw no difficulty in effecting this -convenient scheme, by simply uniting the independent states in a -conspiracy to expel Charles beyond the Alps. But he reckoned without -his host. The Marquis of Pescara, who was high in the imperial -service, betrayed the plot in time to frustrate its execution. His -death occurred soon after, from wounds received at Pavia, or possibly -from poison, and the year was spent in intrigues and counterplots, -which concern our present subject only as giving occasion to this -letter, addressed by Francesco Maria to Cardinal Wolsey:-- - - "Most illustrious and most worshipful Lord, - - "Having learned that his serene Majesty [Henry VIII.] has - named me his adherent in the league lately made with his - most Christian Majesty, it becomes a duty, which I by these - letters discharge, to tender my respects, and humbly to - kiss his hand, having no other proof at present to offer - of the extreme obligation which, in addition to numberless - others, I owe to his Majesty, for this affectionate and - honourable recollection of me. And knowing the love which - your most illustrious and reverend Lordship has ever - exhibited towards my house, and especially for myself, I am - satisfied (as, indeed, I have heard from the reverend Lord - Protonotary Casale) that you have always borne in mind the - services towards that crown of my most famous progenitors - and myself. Whence, in addition to the boundless obligation - I lie under to his most serene Majesty for naming me his - adherent, I hold myself therein indebted to your most - reverend and illustrious Lordship, considering it in a - great measure owing to you. I have therefore written these - presents, not as mere thanks, for I would not so commence - what I cannot complete by words alone, but that you may - know the great obligation I feel and have expressed, and - how intensely I desire an opportunity of effectively - demonstrating my natural and deserved anxiety to do you - service; the which will be clearly made patent to your most - reverend and illustrious Lordship, so often as I have it - in my power to act upon my intentions. And, recommending - myself to your good favour, I pray that you still keep - in mind my services to his majesty. From Verona the 14th - February, 1526. - - "_Servitor_, - - "EL DUCA D'URBINO."[302] - -[Footnote *301: So far as Julius is concerned, his one object was the -absolute temporal dominion of the Church in Italy. He made the coming -of an ultramontane power into Italy a certainty. His successors -struggled in vain to save themselves and incidentally Italy from the -consequence of his crime. But the policy of the Papacy was wise, if -selfish. The only road to Italian unity lay through predominance of -one power--Venice or Milan, for instance, or the Church herself. The -popes successfully prevented this unity for more than a thousand -years, really in self-defence--the defence of their temporal power -at any rate; their international claims were destroyed by an eager -and passionate nationalism. We have seen in our day how Piedmont -united Italy, first destroying the Papacy, which remains merely as a -spiritual power that seems in Italy to be slowly passing away.] - -[Footnote 302: Brit. Mus. Cotton. MSS. Vit. B. VIII., f. 16, b. In f. -49, of B.V. there is a mutilated letter of compliment from the Duke -to Henry VIII., in Latin, dated at Urbino 19 March, 1522.] - -At length, in May 1526, a new confederacy was announced, in which -the Pope, Francis I. (who had regained his liberty in March), Henry -VIII., Venice, and Florence, were marshalled against Charles V., -nominally to wrest from him the Milanese, which remained in his hands -after the battle of Pavia. The citadel of Milan, however, was still -held by Francesco Sforza; and the Duke of Urbino, by the senate's -orders, led the Venetian troops from Verona to his relief, but under -protest that he considered them unequal to the service. On his march, -he received offers from an adherent of the Sforza to admit him into -Lodi, and immediately detaching Malatesta Baglione to avail himself -of the proposal, hastened onwards with the army to his support. The -attempt was completely successful, and after a gallant resistance -the imperialists evacuated the place on the 24th of June. This -acquisition was of the utmost importance to the allies. It secured -them command of the Adda, and gave them a strong position in the -enemy's country, from whence they could operate with equal facility -against Milan, Cremona, or Pavia. - -The army of the League which now mustered at Lodi is estimated by -Guicciardini and Muratori at sixteen thousand foot and four thousand -horse. The Duke of Urbino was commander-in-chief of the Venetians; -Count Guido Rangone held the same rank in the ecclesiastical forces, -which included, however, the papal and Florentine contingents, led by -their respective captains-general, Giovanni de' Medici and Vitello -Vitelli. The embarrassment occasioned by so many commanders, under no -common head, was especially felt by Francesco Maria, who, although -admitted by Guicciardini to have been pre-eminent in rank, authority, -and reputation, as well as actually leader of the combined army, -was controlled by Pesaro, the Venetian Proveditore, and thwarted -by the Pope's anomalous appointment of that historian himself as -lieutenant-general, with ample indeed almost absolute powers in the -army and throughout the states of the Church. - -Francesco Guicciardini was a Florentine gentleman, born in 1482, and -educated for the law, who, profiting by the partiality of Leo X. for -his fellow-citizens, had held several important civil appointments, -and had been successively named governor of Modena, Reggio, and -Parma, to which Clement added, in 1523, a jurisdiction over all -pontifical Romagna. He was gifted with considerable talents and -great command of language, but these promotions had rendered him -vain and overbearing. The accounts given us by the Urbino writers, -of one whom they had good reason to regard with prejudice, should -be received with caution; yet some anecdotes have come down which -confirm the allegation of Leoni, that his dogmatical pretensions -were neither authorised by etiquette, nor supported by his judgment -or military experience.[303] No defect of character was less likely -to meet with toleration from the blunt and hasty Francesco Maria, -and in consequence of their being opposed to each other at the -council-board, alike in momentous and trifling matters, scenes of -insult and violence ripened aversion into rancour. In this contest -the Florentine had the worst, but he amply availed himself of his -pen as a means of vengeance; and in his History, which has become -a standard authority, he studiously and throughout misrepresented -the Duke of Urbino. Lipsius, while bearing strong testimony to -his general truth and impartiality, admits that he on no occasion -concealed his detestation of that prince. Later writers, especially -Sismondi, have adopted his strictures with little modification, -and an ingenious defence of the Duke, prepared by Baldi after his -death, having never seen the light, the portraits of him hitherto -passing current in history are exaggerations of a malevolent pencil. -Yet it appears beyond question that an over-dilatory and cautious -system increased upon Francesco Maria, and, in conjunction with -other circumstances, greatly hampered his tactics and impaired their -success, during his service under the lion of St. Mark. - -[Footnote 303: Leonardi's recollections of Francesco Maria, Vat. Urb. -MSS., No. 1023, f. 85, and Baldi's defence of him from Guicciardini's -charges, _Ibid._, No. 906, f. 214.] - -The allied forces very considerably outnumbered those of Charles, -who were scattered among several garrisons and detached positions. -The moment, therefore, seemed propitious for following up their -recent success, and effecting the main object of the campaign by a -decided blow against Milan. That capital was occupied by about nine -thousand imperialist troops, who blockaded Sforza in the citadel, -and who, in letters casually intercepted, represented the citizens, -though disarmed by their conquerors, as mature for a rising. A prompt -movement for the relief of the hard-pressed fortress was therefore -urged by Guicciardini, and seconded by the Proveditore, whose ear -he had gained. The reasons by which Francesco Maria combated this -proposal savoured unquestionably, even by Leoni's admission, rather -of hollow excuses than of sound judgment, for whilst he awaited the -Swiss auxiliaries, he allowed reinforcements to reach the imperial -garrison. - -Some light is, however, thrown upon this seeming inconsistency by an -argument in his Discorsi Militari, wherein the Duke illustrates, from -this very passage in his life, two axioms he broadly lays down,--that -to rely mainly for the success of a war upon the support of a people, -however gallant, is a great risk, if not inevitable ruin; and that no -popular rising ever succeeded of itself, or without an overpowering -force to second it. Considering that his uncle and himself had -thrice regained their state by a popular emeute, this doctrine may -seem ungracious from his mouth. Without, however, entering upon a -question which the recent experience of Europe has greatly affected, -or examining instances adduced by the Duke in support of his views, -it seems likely that his reasoning was adopted to cloak some unavowed -motive. Perhaps the alternative suggestion which he offered may -afford some clue to the truth, keeping in view the relationship and -confidential intercourse which had ever been maintained between the -princes of Urbino and Ottaviano Fregoso. His proposition was that, -instead of opposing their new and ill-disciplined levies to the -veteran and lately victorious occupants of Milan, the allies should -draw off towards Genoa, and there restore the supremacy of the -Fregosi, thus giving time for the arrival of Swiss subsidies, and -enabling them perhaps to intercept the reinforcements which Bourbon -was bringing by sea from Spain. The motive alleged by Sismondi for -this policy rests upon the broader ground of the Duke's desire to -humble Clement, in revenge for all he had suffered, rather from the -Pontiff's family than from himself; and it must be admitted that -much of his conduct during this lamentable and inglorious war, until -it ended in the sack of Rome, could scarcely have been different if -actuated by that ungenerous calculation. Yet in the instance now -under our consideration, it is but fair to notice Leoni's assertion, -that his opinions were supported by Giovanni de' Medici _delle Bande -Nere_, whilst those of Guicciardini, obtaining the suffrages of the -other leaders, carried the day. - -With such diversity of opinion prevailing among commanders of -nearly equal authority, it is not surprising that the advance upon -Milan should have been most sluggish. After spending nine days in -marching about twenty miles, the army, on the 6th of July, drew -round that city, which the enemy, notwithstanding Bourbon's arrival -the preceding night with the Spanish succours, are supposed by -Sismondi to have been on the point of evacuating. The artillery -having next morning begun to play upon the walls, a sally was made, -and the allied troops, finding themselves under fire, behaved most -scandalously, so that, had not Francesco Maria with the cavalry -promptly supported the panic-stricken infantry of his own and the -papal brigades, they must have suffered a total rout. Alarmed at -these symptoms of unsteadiness, and unseconded by the expected -insurrection within, the Venetian Proveditore and Guicciardini -insisted upon a general retreat, as the only means by which their -forces could escape destruction. In despair, they besought the Duke -to take the retiring army under his command, a charge which he did -not accept without taunting them on a result that so fully bore out -his predictions, and proved their rashness in exposing an unorganised -host of raw Italians to fight the veterans of Germany and Spain. -But the moment was too critical for recrimination. Two hours before -dawn the camp was silently raised, and the army withdrew in good -order about twelve miles to Marignano. Their rear was effectually -guarded by Giovanni de' Medici against any sally of the imperialists, -but no less than four thousand of the foot were missing, having -ignominiously deserted their colours. - -Such is the account of Leoni and Baldi. Guicciardini, on the other -hand, takes to himself credit for using every argument with the Duke -against a retreat, which he designates as uncalled for and infamous. -Upon his despatches were, no doubt, formed the opinions expressed in -the following letter of the Bishop of Worcester to Cardinal Wolsey:-- - - "Most Illustrious and Reverend Lord," &c. - - "I have hitherto daily informed you of what was going - on, by longer or shorter letters, as time permitted. At - present nothing new has transpired, except that, on the - night of the 7th inst., the Duke of Urbino, captain-general - of the ecclesiastical and Venetian forces, after most - strenuous and gallant operations against the enemy, from - which a successful issue was expected, suddenly changing - his intention, notwithstanding numerous protests, drew off - his army to Marignano, a town ten miles from Milan. Which, - though the Duke, as usual, entangles it with numerous - reasons, has exposed him to no slight disparagement from - the public. I have only further humbly to commend myself to - your most illustrious Lordship. From Rome, 11th July, 1526. - - "Your most illustrious and reverend Lordship's - _Humillimum manicipium_, - - "HI[~C]. EP[~S]. WIGORNIEN."[304] - -[Footnote 304: Brit. Mus. Cotton. MSS., Vit. B. VIII., f. 93 b. In -this volume are many despatches regarding the Lombard campaign, and -the assault on Rome in 1526.] - -The prejudices of Guicciardini are admitted by the Venetian Paruta, -who tells us that the Signory were satisfied with their general's -explanations, but cautioned him for the future, to communicate his -views more frankly to the papal commissioner. It is a passage of -history hard to clear up, and in every view redounding little to the -credit of its actors, whether we most blame the Duke's policy or the -unsteadiness of his troops. Exposures so disgraceful well merited -the sneer, that the swords in that army had no edge; and Sismondi -admits that its spiritless conduct goes far to justify its leader's -dispiriting tactics.[*305] - -[Footnote *305: See Guicciardini's despairing letters to Giberti, -_Opere Inedite_ (1857-67, Firenze), vol. IV., pp. 73-146. Francesco -Maria was to blame; he lost time in crossing the Adda, from -whatever cause; he delayed again while the generals of the Emperor -strengthened their lines round Milan--even when the allies arrived -and their army numbered 20,000 against the 11,000 of the besiegers. -He waited the arrival of the Swiss, he said, and went off meanwhile -at the heels of the Venetian Proveditore to besiege Cremona. The -Rocca of Milan fell on July 24th.] - -On the 22nd of July, the confederates, having been joined by five -thousand Swiss levies, again approached the city, and were met by -about three hundred women and children, whom Sforza had dismissed -as embarrassing his defence. Shamed by their representations, the -leaders, in a council of war, decided upon a new attempt to relieve -the citadel, which, however, Giovanni de' Medici, after inspecting -the works of the besiegers, opposed as too perilous. Whilst they -lost time in these discussions, Sforza was fairly starved out, and -surrendered the fortress on the 24th. Leoni and Baldi agree in -charging these dilatory and unsatisfactory proceedings upon the other -generals, and the total inefficiency of the army, rather than upon -Francesco Maria's tactics. They may be considered as biased, but the -following anecdotes will show how far the Florentine historian had -reason to be impartial. - -At one of the war councils held in the Certosa of Pavia, Guicciardini -having cast some doubt upon an opinion expressed by the Duke, was -thus answered: "Your business is to confer with pedants." These -rude words were accompanied by a knock-down blow on the face, -followed by an order to get up and begone! Leonardi, who preserves -this incident, adds, "Such pugilistic sport was habitual to my Lord -Duke; and it was well for those who could command their temper in -reasoning with him, as he was ever ready to strike any one who -argued against his views with disrespect." The historian's original -prepossession against Francesco Maria, is ascribed by Baldi to a -vain ambition of precedence. While lieutenant-general of the papal -forces he displayed it towards Guido Rangone, his superior officer, -and insisted on taking rank at the council-board of the Marquis of -Saluzzo, when he arrived in command of the French contingents. These -absurd pretensions were at first treated with indifference, but -finally brought him into a wrangle with the Duke, over whom he also -claimed a similar right, from the fact of being in the papal service, -waiving it only out of consideration for his sovereign rank. In -that instance, also, he is said to have been struck by the choleric -prince; at all events he was expelled from the council-chamber, and -a strong representation of his misconduct was made to the Pope, who -consequently cancelled his anomalous commission, and appointed him -governor of Modena. - -Sismondi, embodying Guicciardini's one-sided narrative,[*306] has -thrown upon Francesco Maria the entire odium of the ludicrously slow -movements of the army, averaging about four miles on each alternate -day, and of their double miscarriage before Milan. The fatal tendency -of such measures, however they might have originated, admits of no -question, and the responsibility of their failure must fall upon the -most influential leader. It is always difficult in a heterogeneous -confederacy to maintain that unity of purpose which may compensate -for diversity of interests, and which can only be insured by prompt -action and brilliant success. But the sentiment "that reputation was -neither to be gained by risks nor lost by delays," which Bernardo -Tasso puts into the Duke's mouth, in describing a council of war -whereat he assisted,[307] not only advocates quite a different -policy, but too well confirms the charge brought against him as one -of those - - "Generals who will not conquer when they may." - -[Footnote *306: See his despairing letters cited above, p. 441, note -*1. He was a true patriot and thought for Italy. The Duke's dilatory -and inconclusive actions while Italy was slowly dying, and might have -been saved, as he thought, disgusted and enraged him.] - -[Footnote 307: _Lettere_, I., p. 28, edit. 1733.] - -When, however, he perceived victory to be hopeless, in an army -distracted by the jealousies of rival leaders, he had proposed -the nomination of a commander-in-chief, avowing himself ready to -accord him implicit obedience. In this he was again thwarted by -Guicciardini, who represented his suggestion to the allied powers -as dictated by personal ambition of the post. The plan fell to the -ground, and its author, fretted by the difficulties of his position, -was attacked by severe illness. Of this the Proveditore availed -himself to lead Malatesta Baglione, with three thousand troops, to -Cremona. Like Milan, it was occupied by an imperialist brigade, who -besieged in the citadel a handful of Sforza's adherents. The Duke's -warnings as to its military difficulties having been received with -indifference, this enterprise was on the point of miscarriage, on -learning which he rose from a sick bed, and hurried with fresh forces -to the scene of action. His presence infused new energy into the -operations, and on the 23rd of September the town was evacuated by -the imperialists upon capitulation. - -This success was scarcely within his grasp when a courier arrived -from Rome, with tidings which gave a new aspect to affairs. Clement, -who had succeeded to the turbulence of his predecessors, without the -energy of Julius, or the address of Leo, made himself a dangerous -domestic foe in the Colonna,--broken, but not crushed by the rancour -of Alexander VI. Cardinal Pompeo Colonna, a man indifferent to -religion, whose unbounded ambition aimed directly at the tiara, -and whose brows better became a condottiere's casque than a mitre, -forgetting his duty as one of the Sacred College, entered into -treasonable correspondence with the imperialist leaders; and his -brother Marcello, having been driven from his fiefs by the Pope, -threw himself at the feet of Charles V., offering to support his -views upon Italy if reponed by his assistance. They also used their -influence at Venice in preventing his Holiness from raising a loan -to recruit his crippled resources, and, in concert with Don Ugo -Moncada, commander of the Neapolitan army, strove to alienate him -from the League. Don Ugo, a Spaniard by birth, was the worthy pupil -of Cesare Borgia, without his reputation for success. In every -important engagement his sword had been tarnished by defeat; his -character and personal adventures combined each brutal attribute -of a condottiere, with scarcely a redeeming trait of honour. The -plan of these confederates was by a coup-de-main to dictate terms -to the Pontiff; or, failing success in this, to give occupation at -home for the contingent he then maintained with the allied army -of Lombardy. Accordingly, the Colonna troops, who had assumed a -threatening attitude in the Campagna, were suddenly withdrawn beyond -the frontier; and a son of Prospero Colonna hastened to the capital -to throw himself at Clement's feet, assuring him of the pacific -disposition of his house, and that their levies were destined for -the imperial service at Naples. The Pope, being deceived into a -belief so conformable to his wishes, turned a deaf ear to the warning -of more clear-sighted men, and, disappointed of his loan, thought -only of reducing a war establishment he could no longer pay. But -so soon as his soldiery were dismissed, the Colonna recalled their -army of two thousand men, which, led by Pompeo with equal celerity -and success, reached the Lateran gate ere treachery was suspected. -Resistance being hopeless, they, on the 20th of September, marched -through the city into the Trastevere, where they were welcomed to -refreshments provided by the Cardinal's order. Thence they passed -into the Borgo S. Spirito, where are situated the Vatican, St. -Peter's, and the castle of St. Angelo, and within three hours had -pillaged that rich quarter, sparing neither the palace nor the -metropolitan church. The Pope, who had at first resolved to await -death in his pontifical chair, scarcely escaped with a few valuables -into the fortress, which, from unpardonable negligence, was entirely -unprovisioned. To arrest these horrors, the Pontiff next day made a -hasty four-months' truce, stipulating for the immediate evacuation of -Rome, as the condition on which he should recall Guicciardini with -the ecclesiastical troops from Upper Italy; three days, however, -elapsed ere the troops withdrew, laden with a booty estimated at -300,000 ducats.[308] - -[Footnote 308: This treaty is printed by Molini, in the _Documenti di -Storia Italiana_, I., 229. At p. 204 of the same volume is a despatch -throwing valuable light on the tangled diplomacy of these times. The -details of this event are often mixed up with those of the far more -atrocious sack of Rome perpetrated by Bourbon a few months later; the -best account of it is by Negri, an eye-witness, in the _Lettere de' -Principi_.] - -Upon the capitulation of Cremona, Francesco Maria stole a few days -for the society of his Duchess, and the affairs of his state, but was -speedily recalled to his post by the unsatisfactory aspect of matters -in Lombardy. The papal troops had been withdrawn; the garrison -of Cremona, whose services the Venetians would not retain at his -suggestion, had entered into new engagements with the enemy; fourteen -thousand _lanznechts_, alias _lansquenet_ infantry, under Georg v. -Fruendesberg, were marching from Germany by the Val di Sabbia to -support the imperial cause. His first care was to check the pillage -of Cremona, a service which the citizens acknowledged by presenting -to him a golden vase weighing twenty pounds, and beautifully chased -with appropriate devices. He found the Marquis of Saluzzo arrived -with about five thousand levies from France, and that the _bande -nere_, amounting to almost as many, had been engaged by that power, -on Guicciardini's departure, whose absence proved a vast relief -to him. The army is now estimated at twenty-five thousand men by -Sismondi, who, echoing the charges of that writer, severely blames -the Duke for not supporting the naval attack made by the French upon -Genoa, a scheme for which we have seen him contending at an earlier -period. But a passage in his own _Discorsi Militari_ expressly states -the Venetian force at four thousand infantry and five thousand -cavalry, to keep in check both Fruendesberg's lansquenets and ten -thousand men at Milan; and it explains his tactics to consist in -making Cremona the centre of a line of defence, embracing Bergamo on -the right, and Genoa on the left, which, being vastly too extended -for his force, necessitated his keeping his men together, in order -to move upon any exposed point. Accordingly, considering it most -incumbent to intercept the battalions of Fruendesberg, he, after -throwing garrisons into some important places on his right flank, -pushed towards Mantua with about ten thousand men. Although sadly -impeded by dreadful weather, and by difficulties of transport, the -Proveditore having secured all the cattle to carry his own baggage -to Venice, he came up with the enemy at Borgoforte, on the Po, and, -interrupting their passage, drove their main body down the course of -that river. Deep snow and mud embarrassing his evolutions, he could -only hang upon their rear as far as the Mincio, where they were -met by a reinforcement with artillery from Ferrara. Thereupon the -Duke recalled his skirmishers, and left the Germans to pass the Po -unobstructed, on the 30th of November. - -In this affair fell Giovanni de' Medici, whose birth we have formerly -noticed.[309] His name is consecrated to military renown by a halo -which his lion-heart well merited, and which has gained no additional -brilliancy from the attempts of some writers to elevate his fame at -Francesco Maria's expense. In this unworthy effort--as on too many -like occasions--Guicciardini has been followed by the historian of -the Italian republics. The charges of misconduct adduced against -the Duke of Urbino, in his movement against Fruendesberg, are by no -means borne out by the more detailed accounts supplied by Leoni -and Baldi. He seems to have done everything that the state of the -elements would allow; and even accused himself of occasioning the -death of his faithful captain Benedetto Giraldi of Mondolfo, by -answering his plea, that his charger was completely knocked up, with -the sarcasm,--"What! you to whom I give a hundred scudi of yearly -pay, have not a fresh pair of horses at such a moment!" Stung by this -reproach, the gallant officer urged his steed to new efforts, and -shared the fate of Giovanni de' Medici. The brigade of the latter, -out of respect for their leader, assumed those mourning scarfs which -procured them the name _delle bande nere_; and most of them soon -after passed to Rome in the papal service. - -[Footnote 309: See above, p. 385.] - -The German lansquenets, whom Fruendesberg had brought into Italy, -were in fact a free company, levied by himself on a mere plundering -adventure, without the pretext of pay. Alarmed at a reinforcement -of so obnoxious a character, the confederates bethought themselves -of renewed efforts. But disgusted with a drawling campaign, wherein -no party had exhibited either good heart or doughty deeds, they had -recourse to diplomacy, which, ever fluctuating between an inactive -war and a solid peace, failed to create any general interest. -The truce with Moncada being expired they had no difficulty in -enrolling the unstable Pontiff once more on their side; but intent -on his private quarrel with the Colonna, and burning to avenge the -outrage lately received at their hands, he gave no co-operation -to the League. His tortuous and feeble policy preferred rousing, -by small intrigues, the old Angevine party at Naples against the -imperial government, and sought the more sympathetic attractions -of a petty strife with his refractory vassals. Having engaged the -_bande nere_, he let them loose to carry fire and sword into the -Colonna holdings, depriving, at the same time, Cardinal Pompeo of -his hat, and thundering excommunication against his whole race. -As the spring advanced, he extended this inglorious warfare, with -"a worse than Turkish" virulence, into the Neapolitan territory. -Meanwhile, the Viceroy Lanoy, after narrowly escaping the fleet of -Andrea Doria, landed ten thousand fresh troops at Gaeta, and advanced -upon Rome, supported by Moncada and the Colonna. But the vengeance -of God against the Holy City was reserved for other hands. After a -slight check from the _bande nere_, at Frosinone, the Viceroy most -opportunely received letters from his master, disavowing the Colonna, -and breathing affectionate duty to the Pontiff. He thereupon made -overtures of reconciliation, and after various demurs, prompted -by the Pontiff's vacillating hopes and fears, but which, in the -exhausted state of his treasury, appear the dictates of insanity, -an eight months' truce was signed on the 15th of March, between the -Pope and the Emperor. It provided for a mutual restitution of all -conquests in Lower Italy, a restoration of the Colonna to their -estates and honours, and a payment by his Holiness of 60,000 ducats -towards the costs of the war. Should the French and Venetians accept -of this truce, the lansquenets were to be withdrawn from Italy; at -all events they and the Constable Bourbon's army were forthwith to -quit the ecclesiastical and Florentine territories. Whilst intimating -this arrangement to the Duke of Urbino, by a brief of the 16th of -March, Clement represents it as dictated by stern necessity, the -whole weight of the war having fallen upon himself, and as the sole -means of saving his own existence, and preserving "all Italy from -destruction." - -Whilst these events were in progress in Lower Italy, the negotiations -for a general peace had produced no fruits, conducted, as they were, -with little good faith or honesty of purpose. The only one really -interested in prolonging the struggle was Francis I., whose children -were still in his rival's hands. The Italian states, weary of a -bootless contest, and disgusted by the feeble egotism of Clement, -fell into inertness akin, perhaps, to the fascination under which the -feathered tribes are said to become victims of their reptile-foe. - -That foe was Charles Duke of Bourbon, son of Gilbert Count de -Montpensier, who died at Pozzuoli, in 1495, by Chiara Gonzaga, -sister of Elisabetta Duchess of Urbino. He was next heir to the -crown of France, after Francis Duke of Angouleme, who succeeded to -it as Francis I., and Charles Duke d'Alencon, whose blood had been -attainted for treason. Louis XII., having removed this attainder, -and restored the d'Alencon branch to their rights, incurred the deep -displeasure of Bourbon, who was, however, pacified by receiving, at -the age of twenty-six, the office of grand constable,--the highest -dignity of the realm. He greatly distinguished himself in Francis's -early Italian campaigns, but was recalled from the command at Milan -in 1516, in consequence of his overbearing conduct and ambitious -views. By Anna, sister of Charles VIII., whom he married in spite -of a hideously deformed person, he had the dukedom of Bourbon, -with an immense fortune; but his extravagant prodigality plunged -him into great embarrassments, and a suit brought after his wife's -death by the mother of Francis I.--whose love he was alleged to -have slighted--threatened him with utter ruin, by evicting him -from his wife's estates. In these circumstances, his jealous and -fiery temper was ready to seize upon any pretext for entering into -treasonable correspondence with the Emperor and King of England; -and, on a promise of the crown of Provence, he undertook to head an -insurrection in France as soon as Francis should cross the Alps. That -monarch having discovered the plot, at once sought the Constable in -one of his own castles, and frankly told him what he had learned. -The hypocrite had recourse to abject asseverations of innocence and -fidelity, and was ordered to attend his sovereign into Italy; but, -perceiving that his protestations had not removed suspicion, he fled -in disguise to the territory of Charles, and was declared rebel. His -perfidy and rancour now knew no bounds; he was ever after prominent -and indefatigable in the wars against his country, and mainly -instigated the descent upon Provence in 1524. He next entertained -a hope of the dukedom of Milan, by Clement's sanction; but he had -played away his honour in a losing game: despised by himself and -his employers, the prestige of success passed from his arms. Yet -his peculiar talent for courting popularity ensured him the zealous -support of his troops, who knew also that a bankrupt in character -and purse was the best leader for men intent upon pillage. To the -single merit of a winning manner, he united many odious qualities. -His unmeasured ambition was restrained by no principle, either -as to its objects, or the means of attaining them. His pride was -vain-glory, venting itself in capricious and ill-directed schemes, -and stimulating into fury a wayward and sanguinary temper, which, -when exasperated by exile and outlawry, became ungovernable. - -During the war of Lombardy, the imperial generals were in a great -measure left to their own resources, both as to its conduct and its -supplies. Bourbon had for about a year maintained his army in Milan -without pay, by merciless plunder of the townspeople, upon whom -insult and outrage were unsparingly heaped. But their patience and -their means were nearly exhausted, and the difficulty of recruiting -his commissariat was greatly aggravated by judicious dispositions of -the allied army, directed by the Duke of Urbino. A forward movement -was therefore resolved upon, and as occupation and pillage were the -only chances of keeping together such disorganised troops, he led -them in search of both. Indifferent whether the spoils of Florence or -Romagna should prove the more convenient prey, he effected a junction -with Fruendesberg's new levies, whose circumstances and objects -exactly corresponded with those of his own forces, and on the 30th of -January their united divisions passed the Po. - -Our authorities are in many respects contradictory regarding these -operations, and especially as to the part which Francesco Maria took -in them. He seems to have been laid up at Parma, with an attack of -gout and fever, from the 3rd to the 14th of January, and to have -spent most of the next two months with his Duchess at Gazzuolo in the -Mantuese, for recovery of his health. It is insinuated by Sismondi -that this was but an excuse for abandoning the field, at a moment -when it would have been scarcely possible to pursue the policy, which -that author ascribes to him, of never risking in a general action the -prestige of invincibility. On the other hand, Leoni asserts that, at -a council of war held in Parma on the 11th of February, plans for -the campaign were proposed in writing by the different confederate -leaders, when that sent by the Duke was treacherously suppressed -by Guicciardini. Judging from the results of the campaign, there -can be no doubt that the imperialists ought to have been attacked -at this juncture; and if a general onset had been ordered on the -13th of March, when they broke out into open mutiny, Bourbon being -obliged to fly for his life, or, a few days after, when Fruendesberg, -a monster of sacrilege and blasphemy, according to the Italian -historians, died of apoplexy, they would in all probability have -been totally exterminated. But they were the reserved instrument of -divine judgments; and it signifies little now to speculate whether -the immediate motives which paralysed the League were the Duke's -ill-timed caution, his anticipation that the starving band would ere -long of itself dissolve, or his personal enmity to the Pope. It is, -however, important to keep in view the cold and selfish character of -Venetian policy, and the hampering influence which their system of -_proveditori_ necessarily had upon the measures of their generals. - -When Francesco Maria returned to the camp, the imperialists, who had -passed the Trebbia on the 20th of February, were slowly advancing -through the ecclesiastical state of Modena upon Bologna. His tactic -was to place them between two hostile armies; so the Marquis of -Saluzzo, with the French, ecclesiastical, and Swiss troops, preceded -them, leaving garrisons in the principal places, the Duke following -with the Venetians, some thirty miles in their rear. Against this -plan, which Guicciardini designates a strange proceeding, and -which even Baldi most justly criticises, the other leaders vainly -protested, alleging, among other reasons, that whilst the army -in advance must be speedily weakened by detaching garrisons, the -Venetians would probably hang back when their own frontier was freed -from danger. News of the truce between the Pope and the Viceroy now -arrived, and the Duke, disgusted at this new proof of Clement's -fickleness, and indifference to his allies' interests, withdrew -his army across the Po. But the courier who brought the treaty to -Bourbon at Ponte-Reno, with an order to obey its provisions, was -nearly cut to pieces by his troops, infuriated at this interference -with their hopes of booty, and the Constable refused to abide by -it. The fresh jealousy of their unstable ally, thus suggested to -the Venetians, afforded their leader a new apology for not exposing -their troops in a general action for the preservation of Bologna. -But when Bourbon had passed by that city towards Romagna and Urbino, -somewhat more spirit was infused into his movements, as the danger -seemed to approach his own frontier. He immediately sent forward -two thousand men to protect the duchy, and desired his family to -be removed for safety to Venice. On the 5th of March he had struck -his camp at Casal-Maggiore, and proceeded in pursuit of the enemy. -On that day they passed under Imola, which, with the other cities, -was garrisoned by detachments of Saluzzo, in accordance with tactics -already explained. Bourbon now scoured the plains of Romagna in -search of plunder, skirmishing occasionally with the French division. -When at Meldola on the 14th he bethought him of a descent upon Siena, -whose old Ghibelline and anti-Florentine preferences promised him a -welcome. He, therefore, penetrated the Apennines by forced marches -up the passes of the Bidente, and on the 18th reached S. Pietro in -Bagno, burning and pillaging as he went. - -When the Constable's refusal to accept the treaty was known at Rome, -Clement, more perplexed than ever, besought Lanoy to hurry on and -induce him to a halt, or at all events to withdraw the Spaniards and -men-at-arms from his command. To this the Viceroy with much apparent -zeal consented; but doubts have been thrown on his sincerity, for -both he and Moncada, whilst professing cordial co-operation with the -Pope, are suspected of having secretly stimulated Bourbon's advance -upon Rome, as the only means of appeasing the troops, trusting that -the grandeur of the enterprise would, in their master's eyes, readily -excuse its criminality. It seems doubtful whether Lanoy actually met -the Constable; and his mission was understood to have exposed him -to great personal risk from the lawless and ungovernable troops. He -at all events conveyed to Bourbon a proposition for the immediate -payment to his army of 80,000 ducats, with 60,000 more during May, -on condition of their retreat within five days; these sums to be -advanced by Florence, on the Viceroy's guarantee for repayment of -one-half by the Emperor. The direct object of this proposal was to -divert the impending storm from Tuscany; and it was fully sanctioned -by Clement, true to the policy of Medicean pontiffs, who ever -regarded Florence as their patrimony, Rome as their life-interest. In -the negotiations to which it gave rise there was a double difficulty. -Whilst the demands of a mutinous and starving army were paramount to -all other considerations, each party of the confederates struggled to -throw upon another the burden of meeting them. The same selfishness -sought individual security against the future movements of the -general foe, by turning him upon some friendly frontier. The wealthy -Florentines lavished their gold to send him back upon Upper Italy, -which the timely distribution of a few thousand men in the Apennine -gorges might have prevented him from ever quitting. The game of the -Proveditore Pisani was to leave no obstacle in the way of his advance -in any direction save that of the Venetian terra-firma domain, and -to detain the Duke of Urbino with his army of observation as long as -possible near that frontier. The French strove at all hazards to keep -him clear of their Lombard conquests. The Pontiff, little dreaming -of an attack upon his capital, was distracted between the care of -Romagna and Tuscany, whilst his fickle imbecility deprived him of all -sympathy at his allies' hands; indeed, in this conflict of interests, -his pusillanimous tergiversations rendered him the weaker vessel, -and he consequently became the chief sufferer. Nor did the Duke of -Urbino escape suspicions of bad faith, for he is accused of a secret -understanding not to impede Bourbon's descent upon Tuscany, which -would naturally liberate his own duchy from danger. Guicciardini, -indeed, not only considers revenge for former injuries of the Medici -as the key to Francesco Maria's dilatory and inefficient proceedings -against the imperialists, but regards his conduct as justified by the -provocations received. These sentiments were at all events cherished -by the soldiery of Urbino, who wrote "FOR VENGEANCE" upon -the houses which they fired on their march through the Florentine -territory. Nor were these provocations light, for the grudge which -Leo had bequeathed was aggravated by a continued retention of the -fortresses in Montefeltro, and still more by an investiture of the -entire duchy, granted in 1525 by Clement, in total defiance of -the della Rovere rights, to Ascanio Colonna, whose claims we have -already considered.[310] This grant, though virtually annulled by the -same Pope's subsequent confirmation of the reinvestiture given to -Francesco Maria by Adrian VI., gave rise to renewed anxieties on his -part about two years later, and it was not until 1530 that we shall -see them finally extinguished by the Duke's generous hospitality to -his rival. - -[Footnote 310: Above, p. 420.] - -On the 22nd of April the Constable, finding the mountain peasantry -exasperated to a dangerous pitch by the merciless rigours of his -lawless soldiery, and his own sanguinary nature being goaded by their -ribald taunts, cut short these miserable intrigues by advancing into -Tuscany.[*311] The confederate leaders, having at length decided -on saving Florence, united their divisions, and on the 25th passed -the Apennines near the present Bologna road. The Duke now received -an offer of his fortresses of S. Leo and Maiuolo, which still -remained pledged to that commonwealth. This he answered by general -professions, and next day, sending on the army to Incisa to intercept -the approach of Bourbon, he proceeded with a band of faithful -followers to the Tuscan capital. The republican faction, calculating -upon his support, flew to arms and seized the Palazzo Vecchio, while -once more the unpopular sway of the Medici trembled in the balance. -But the Duke, with a nobility of purpose that goes far to absolve -him from suspicion as to his good faith with the Pope throughout -this campaign, rejected the temptation of avenging his many wrongs, -and, by extraordinary personal exertions, succeeded in quelling the -insurrection, and maintaining the established government. Thus, for -the first time, the city saw its Palazzo taken without a revolution -following. In gratitude for this service his fortresses were -immediately given up to Francesco Maria, who in due time received -also the thanks of his Holiness. The act for their restitution was -signed on the 1st of May, and on the 14th S. Leo was surrendered to -his lieutenant Orazio Florido. - -[Footnote *311: He halted at S. Giovanni in Val d'Arno, where, though -he ought never to have been allowed to come so far, he might have -been easily crushed in that narrow pass. But if the Duke of Urbino -showed now a certain activity, it was not of the sort to crush this -adventure. Bourbon wheeled into the Via Francigena and marched down -to Rome and death. "To Rome! to Rome!" were his dying words.] - -Bourbon's head-quarters were meanwhile at Montevarchi, near -Arezzo, where, seeing his approach to Florence foiled, and the -dissatisfaction of his followers on the increase, he decided upon -making a dash at Rome; his only alternative being to lead them to -pillage, or perish at their hands. As a blind to the Pope, he sent -forward a courier to demand free passage to Naples; and, after -receiving some supplies from Siena, he abandoned his artillery and -heavy baggage in order to lighten his march. He began it on the 26th, -and, notwithstanding incessant rains and an entirely disorganised -commissariat, he passed without halt or question by Acquapendente and -Viterbo to Rome.[312] - -[Footnote 312: Many facts regarding the war in Lombardy and the march -to Rome are given by Baldi (Vat. Urb. MSS. No. 906) with a minuteness -and impartiality not found in other writers. The feeble views of -Clement are illustrated by his brieves to the Duke of Urbino, noticed -in I. of the Appendix to our next volume.] - - - - -APPENDICES - - - - -APPENDIX I - -(Pages 33, 34) - -PORTRAITS OF CESARE BORGIA - - -The same extremes of reprobation and flattery which alternate -in notices of the Duke Valentino puzzle us as to his personal -appearance. Giovio, the ardent collector of historical portraits, -while describing those which he had brought together, thus comments -upon that of Borgia:--"He is said to come of a plague-stricken stock -and of corrupted blood; for a livid rush overspread his face, which -was full of pimples shedding matter. His eyes, too, were deeply -sunk, and their fierce snake-like glance seemed to flash fire, so -that even his friends and comrades could not bear to look upon them; -yet, while flirting with the ladies, he had a wonderful knack of -playing the agreeable." The pen which inscribed these sentences was -evidently charged with even more than its wonted gall; but, after -every allowance, they cannot well be reconciled with a report of the -Venetian envoy Capello, dated in 1500, and bearing that "the Pope -loves and greatly fears his son the Duke, who is aged twenty-seven -years; his head is most beautiful; he is tall and well made, and -handsomer than King Ferdinand." - -Nor can we attain to any more satisfactory conclusion from such -pictures as are alleged to transmit his features. We have no key to -identify as his any of the heads introduced by Pinturicchio into -those fine but little noticed frescoes commissioned by Alexander -VI. for the Torre di Borgia, now a wing of the Vatican Library. The -exquisite medallists of Romagna do not appear to have exercised their -skill upon his bust. Of easel portraits I am aware of six, which I -mention for the curious in such matters, although not prepared to -consider any of them genuine. - -1. The elegant effeminate-looking Spaniard in the Borghese Gallery, -attributed to Raffaele, is now admitted to be a misnomer both of -subject and artist. - -2. A mean head, in the manner of Federigo Zuccaro, was purchased -a few years ago at Rome by my late friend Monsignor Laureani, -librarian of the Vatican, as that of Valentino, and passed from -him, in 1844, to my friend the Cavaliere Campana. Its sinister and -spiteful expression is not unworthy of such a monster; and allowing -an artist's licence in disguising a complexion which no one would -willingly represent, it might tally with Giovio's too graphic -details. The figure is, however, short, while Capello describes -Cesare as tall. - -3. A letter from Giuseppe Vallardi to Count Cesare di Castelbarco -Visconti was privately printed at Milan in 1843, in which he claims -to have discovered in the Count's palace a portrait of Borgia by -Raffaele, the original chalk study of which belonged to himself. From -the mass of verbiage usual in similar Italian effusions of "municipal -fanaticism," there may be extracted an allegation that the picture -had been painted from that earlier drawing about 1508, and a bold -inference is hazarded from their style that both were the handiwork -of Sanzio. The lithograph, however, would entitle us to ascribe them -rather to the Milanese school, and such is admitted to be the opinion -of various connoisseurs. No fact is adduced to authenticate the head, -or to show that Raffaele ever saw Valentino; indeed, the name seems -to libel a countenance so gentle, refined, and unimpassioned. - -4. Vallardi mentions in the same letter another Borgian head, by -Giorgione, as in the Lochis Gallery at Bergamo, of which I cannot -speak, not having seen it. - -5. A handsome over-dressed youth was engraved for Gordon's _Life of -Alexander VI._, in 1729, from a picture said to belong to D. Giuseppe -Valetta of Naples, which I entirely failed in tracing while in Italy. -Neither have I discovered any authority for supposing that soulless -epicurean to be Cesare Borgia. - -Finally, we may include Fuseli's notice of a picture by Titian, -no longer, however, in the Borghese collection, representing a -conference between the Usurper of Romagna and Machiavelli. A finer -subject for the pencil of that intellectual limner could hardly be -found, but Valentino's prodigality was apparently never lavished on -art.[313] In his eleventh lecture, Fuseli also mentions a portrait of -Cesare by Giorgione, as hanging for study in the Royal Academy. - -[Footnote 313: In Leonardo da Vinci he saw only a military engineer. -His commission, desiring that great genius to survey and report -upon all his fortresses, in the summer of 1502, is quoted in -BROWN'S _Life of Leonardo_, p. 118, and accordingly Urbino -was visited by him on the 30th of July.] - - - - -APPENDIX II - -(Page 34) - -DUKE GUIDOBALDO I. OF URBINO A KNIGHT OF THE GARTER - - -The loss of all early records of the Order, in consequence of their -having long been entrusted to the private and insecure custody of -its successive officers, has already placed us at disadvantage in -noticing the admission of Duke Federigo, but from various sources -we are enabled to glean much more satisfactory notices as to the -election and installation of his son to this honourable knighthood. -The chapter at which he was chosen is not preserved by Anstis, but -its date is known from the following letter, the original of which, -in Latin, I had the good fortune to discover in the Oliveriana -Library at Pesaro.[314] - -[Footnote 314: MSS. No. 374, vol. I., p. 55.] - - "Henry, by the grace of God, King of England and France, - Lord of Ireland, to the most illustrious and potent - Prince the Lord Guido Ubaldo, Duke of Urbino, our most - dear friend, health and augmented prosperity. We wrote - lately to inform your Highness that we had resolved upon - forthwith summoning a chapter of our military Order of the - Garter, for the purpose of creating your Sublimity a knight - thereof, and by the same letters gave you tidings of such - creation. We have now to signify how, in fulfilment of that - our promise, we have made your Highness a Knight of that - Order; and this we have done most cordially, not only on - account of our old necessity, which formerly occurred to - us with your father the illustrious Duke of happy memory, - but also in consideration of your singular merit and - virtues. Indeed we are assured that henceforward your - Highness will ever be regarded as our most attached cousin - and intimate friend, which you will more fully learn from - our distinguished cousin the Lord Talbot, a knight of that - Order, as also from the Reverend [Richard Bere] Lord Abbot - of Glastonbury, and the Venerable Sir Robert Shirbourn, - Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London, our counsellors and - ambassadors, whom we have sent to offer our catholic and - filial obedience to our supreme Lord [Julius II.]. To these - our envoys we have committed all the knightly insignia - of the Garter, to be made over to your Highness, and our - anxious desire is that you will accept them in the same - spirit of cordial affection in which they are sent. We pray - you further to receive these our ambassadors as accredited - in our behalf, and that you will please to aid them with - your favour and counsels, which will be to us peculiarly - agreeable. Finally, as the Venerable Mr. Robert Shirbourn, - one of these our envoys, is by our command to remain for - some time as our minister at the Roman Court to transact - certain affairs of ours with our Lord his Holiness, we - therefore beseech your Sublimity that you will vouchsafe - to assist him, as our agent, with your gracious influence, - which has great and just weight with our Holy Father, and - that you will extend to him such favours as he may request; - by all which you will do us a singular pleasure. Further, - if it be in our power any way to oblige you, freely make - use of us and ours. From our palace near Westminster, the - 20th of February, 1503-4.[315] - - "HENRICUS REX." - -[Footnote 315: It is pleasant to find the arts from time to time -becoming handmaids of history as well as of religion; and the -friendly feeling for England then cherished at Urbino is curiously -illustrated by a bequest of Bishop Arrivabene, who, in 1504, left 400 -golden scudi to be expended in decorating a chapel, dedicated to St. -Martin and St. Thomas of Canterbury: the Duchess Elisabetta was one -of the trustees, and the fresco ordered by them from Girolamo Genga -included a representation of the English saint, and a portrait of -Duke Guidobaldo.] - -The instructions to these ambassadors, dated the 20th of February, -and printed by Anstis, run thus:-- - -"And after due recommendacions, and presentaciones of the Kinge's -lettres [to Duke Guidobaldo], firste the saide Abbot of Glastonburye -shall make a brefe oracion, wherein he shall not onlye touche the -laudes of the noble Order of the Garter, and of the Kinges Highnes -as sovereigne of the same, but also declare the great vertues and -notable deades of the saide Duke, and how his progenitors and -auncestors have been accepted thereunto, and to theyr greate honor -have used the same, with the desyrous mynde that the sayde Duke is to -be honored therwithal; for the which consideracions and causes the -Kinge's Highness, by the assent of the Companions of that Order, have -been the rather moved and induced to name and elect him thereunto, -trustinge verelie that, his greate noblenesse with other of his -valiant actes and singuler vertues consydered, he shall not onlye -greatlye honor the saide Order, but also take greate honor by the -same. Shewinge fynallye that the Kinge's Highnes, for the singular -zeale, love, and affection which his Grace beareth unto hym, hath -sent hym them ornaments belonginge to the sayd Order, and with as -good and hartye mynde wylleth hyme to be honored therewith as anye -other prince lyvinge, desyring him therefore thankfullye to accept -the same, and to use and weare it in a memoriall of his Grace, and of -the saide notable and auncyant Order. - -"And, after the proposition so sayde, they shall present theyr -commyssyon unto the sayde Duke, and cause the same openlye to be -read, and so followinge, the Abbot of Glastonburye shall in good -and reverent manner requyre him to make his corporall othe for the -inviolable observaunce of the same, lyke as, bye the tenure of the -saide estatuts, every Knight of that Order is bownde to do, in form -followinge:-- - -"Ego Guido Ubaldus, Dei Gratia Dux Urbinatis, honorificentissimi -atque approbatissimi Ordinis Garterii Miles et Confrater electus, -juro ad haec sancta Dei evangelia per me corporaliter tacta, quod -omnia et singula statuta leges et ordinationes ipsius dignissimi -Ordinis bene sincere et inviolabiliter observabo. Ita me Deus -adjuvet, et haec sancta Dei evangelia! - -"Which othe geven, Sir Gybert Talbot shall deliver the Garter to hym, -and cause the same in good and honorable manner to be put about his -legge, the saide Abbott of Glastonburye sayinge audablye thes wordes -followinge:-- - -"Ad laudem et honorem summi atque omnipotentis Dei, intemeratae -Virginis et Matris suae Mariae, ac gloriosissimi martiris Georgii, -hujus Ordinis Patroni, circumcingo tibiam tuam hoc Garterio, ut -possis in isto bello firmiter stare et fortiter vincere, in signum -Ordinis et augmentum tui honoris. - -"Which thinge so don, the saide Sir Gylbert shall deliver unto the -saide Duke the gowne of purple couler, and cause hym to apparrell -hymself with the same, the saide Abbot of Glastonburye sayinge thes -wordes followinge, at the doinge on of the same:-- - -"Accipe vestem hanc purpuream, qua semper munitus non verearis pro -fide Christi, libertate ecclesiae et oppressorum tuitione fortiter -dimicare, et sanguinem effundere, in signum Ordinis et augmentum tui -honoris. - -"And then followinge, the sayd Sir Gilbert shall cause the sayde -Duke to do upon hym the mantle of blew velvett, garnyshed with the -scute and crosse of Saint George, and the said Abbot of Glastonburye -sayinge thes wordes:-- - -"Accipe clamidem coelestis coloris clypeo crucis Christi -insignitam, cujus virtute atque vigore semper protectus, hostes -superare, et pro clarissimis tuis meritis gaudia tandem coelestia -promereri valeas, in signum Ordinis et augmentum tui honoris. - -"And when the saide Duke shall be so apperrylled with the ornaments -aforesaide, the saide Sir Gylbert shall put the image of Seinte -George abowt his necke, the saide Abbott saying thes wordes:-- - -"Imaginem gloriosissimi martiris Georgii, hujus Ordinis patroni, in -collo tuo deferes, cujus fultus presidio hujus mundi prospera et -adversa sic pertranseas, ut hostibus corporis et animi devictis, -non modo temporalis militiae gloriam, sed perennis victoriae palmam -accipere valeas, in signum Ordinis et augmentum tui honoris." - -Hollinshed, following Hall, informs us that "Sir Gilbert Talbot, -Knight, Richard Bere, Abbot of Glastonburie, and Doctor Robert -Sherborne, Deane of St. Paules, were sent as ambassadors from the -King to Rome, to declare to Pius the third of that name, newlie -elected pope in place of Alexander the Sixt, deceased, what joy and -gladnesse had entered the King's heart for his preferment. But he -taried not the comming of those ambassadors, for within a moneth -after that he was installed, he rendered his debt to nature, and so -had short pleasure of his promotion.... The King caused Guidebald, -Duke of Urbine, to be elected Knight of the Order of the Garter, in -like manner as his father Duke Frederike had been before him, which -was chosen and admitted into the Order by King Edward the Fourth. Sir -Gilbert Talbot, and the other two ambassadors, being appointed to -keepe on their journey unto Pope Julius the Second, elected after the -death of the said Pius the Third, bare the habit, and collar also, -unto the said Duke Guidebald."[316] It must, however, be observed -that letters of safe conduct for these ambassadors are stated to have -been issued under the Privy Seal on the 22nd of February, 1504, as if -but then beginning their journey. This mission was in accordance with -the statutes of the Order, which provided that, within four months -of the election, special messengers should be despatched to invest -each foreign knight with the insignia, and that, within eight months -after the investiture, he should send a proctor to England to receive -installation in his name. - -[Footnote 316: Hall quaintly says that the King intended "to stop two -gappes with one bushe."] - -We learn from Burchard that the three envoys reached Rome the 12th -of May, 1504. They were met by Sylvester Gigli, Bishop of Worcester, -Anglican resident at the papal court, and had a splendid reception. -On the 20th they had an audience, when, the minister of Louis XII. -having protested against Henry taking the style of France, they -were admitted as the ambassadors of England only. No details have -reached us of the investiture. The authority to which we naturally -turn for the circumstances attending this interesting episode of our -narrative is Polydoro di Vergilio, a native of Urbino, and historian -of England; but a fact, which to the writer ought to have been of -peculiar importance, is passed over without details. As, however, -the supposed autograph copy of his History varies considerably from -printed editions, we shall here quote from it the entire passage, -proving the incorrect manner in which this work is given to the -public. - -"Alexandro Sexto mortuo, creatus est Pontifex Franciscus, Senensis -antistes, qui Pii fuit Secundi ex sorore nepos, voluitque et ipse -Pius Tertius in memoria avunculi vocari. Hic amicissimus erat regis -Henrici [VII.], qui, ut primus omnium Christianorum principum bono -patri de adepto pontificatu congratularetur, confestim Gilbertum -Talbott equitem, Ricardum Beer Abbatem Glasconiensem, et Robertum -Scherburn decanum divi Pauli Londinensis oratores designavit ad ipsum -pontificatum. Sed Pius non expectavit gratulationem, qui obiit sexto -et vigesimo die quam sedere coeperat. Creatur in ejus locum Julianus, -Cardinalis Sti. Petri ad Vincula, patria Ligur, dictusque est Julius -Secundus. Huic postea illi tres regis oratores congratulatum inerunt, -quos Hadrianus Castellensis episcopus Herefordensis, quem paulo -ante Alexander Cardinalem fecerat, Romae hospitio excepit. Hunc rex -Henricus sub idem tempus ab Herefordensi sede ad Bathoniensem ac -Wellensem transferri curavit. At Hadrianus, ut praeter sua quotidiana -obsequia, quae tam regi quam Anglis omnibus libens praestabat, aliquo -diuturniori memoriae monumento relinqueret, apud omnes testatum se -memorem fuisse acceptorum beneficiorum ab Henrico, atque nomen -Anglicum amasse, donavit regi palatium magnificum quod ipse Romae -in Vaticano aedificaverat, ornavitque regis insignibus, ut in -ea luce hominum aliquod egregium opus nomini Anglico dedicatum -conspiceretur.[317] Item, iidem oratores detulerunt habitum Garterii -ordinis Guidoni Duci Urbini, principi seculo nostro Latinae Linguae -simul ac Graecae ac militaris disciplinae peritissimo, quem Rex paulo -ante in Collegium ipsius Ordinis asciverat. Dux postea destinavit -in Angliam Baldasarem Castilliorum, natione Mantuanum, equitem tam -doctrina quam bellica virtute praestantem, ut suo nomine ejus Ordinis -cerimonias exequeret. Fuit Baldaser ab Henrico perbenigne exceptus, -atque comiter habitus; qui, finitis ceremoniis, non indonatus, -postmodum ad suum Decem redivit."[318] - -[Footnote 317: The palace thus gifted to Henry is believed to have -been that in Borgo, called Palazzo Giraud, in which many of our -countrymen have of late received the splendid hospitalities of Prince -Torlonia.] - -[Footnote 318: Vat. Urb. MSS. No. 498, f. 273. For Polydoro di -Vergilio, see above, pp. 115-18.] - -There is thus no authority for a statement in the printed version of -this History, adopted by Hall, Baldi, and others, that the decoration -was conferred in consequence of Guidobaldo's own wish to belong to -an Order, of whose illustration he had become cognisant from its -having been borne by his father. Perhaps the requests which conclude -the letter of Henry VII. may give the most satisfactory key to the -royal policy. Informed, as he no doubt was, of the state of affairs -at the Papal court, he must have been aware that to conciliate the -Duke was the wisest course for those who had favours to gain from the -Pontiff. Be this as it may, the Garter was received by Guidobaldo at -Rome in June, as became so singular an honour, and was proudly worn -next St. George's day in compliance with the rules of the Order. -Having resolved suitably so to acknowledge the dignity by a special -envoy to London, he selected as his proctor Castiglione, the choicest -spirit of his elegant court. The first we hear of this intention is -from the Count's letter of 2nd March, 1505, confidently informing -his mother that he would probably be sent to represent his master -at his installation in England. The plan, however, remained long in -abeyance. Castiglione spent the autumn at the baths of S. Casciano in -Tuscany, for an old injury or wound in his foot, and, in the end of -the year, went on a mission to Ferrara.[319] At length he set out, -on the 24th of July, 1506, accompanied by Francesco di Battista di -Ricece, and Giulio da Cagli, with their respective suites. Among the -presents he was charged to deliver to the King were some falcons, -three of the finest racers of the Urbino breed, and a precious -little picture, by Raffaele, of St. George as patron of the English -Order, which we have already mentioned at p. 233. He was at Lyons in -September, and this notice of his arrival at Dover is preserved by -Anstis:-- - -"The 20th of Octobre, the twenty-second year of our soverain lord, -King Henry VII., there landed at Dover a noble ambassadeur, sent -from the Duc of Urbin, called Sir Balthasar de Castilione, whiche -came to be installed in his lorde's name; whiche Duc had receyved -before by the Abbot of Glastonbury and Sir Gilbert Talbott, being the -King's commissionaris, the Garetier, &c., to the Ordre apperteyning. -And, to mete with the said ambassadeur, was sent Sir Thomas Brandon, -havyng a goodly companye with hym of his owne servants, all verely -well horsed, unto the see-seyde; whiche, after they met togedre, -kept contynnually compagnie with hym, and, when they approched nere -to Deptford, ther met with the forsaid ambassadeur by the King's -commandement, the Lord Thomas Dokara, lord of St. John's, and Thomas -Writhesley, alias Gartier princypall king of Armes. Whiche lord of -St. John's had in his compaignie thirty of his servaunts, all in -a lyvery new, well horsed, every [one] of his gentlemen beryng a -javelayn in his hand, and every yeman havying his bowe and a sheffe -of arrowes, and soe convoyed hym to his lodging, and on the morrow -unto London. And by the waye ther met with the said ambassadeur -dyvers Italyens, as the Pope's Vicecollector, Paulus de Gygeles -[Giliis], with dyvers [others]; and soe convoyed hym to the Pope's -Vicecollector's hows, wher he was lodged." - -[Footnote 319: I can find nothing in support of Roscoe's assertion -that he was wounded while aiding Guidobaldo to recover his duchy, and -the whole facts seem to contradict it. _Leo X._, ch. vii., Sec. 7, note. -That usually accurate writer has fallen into the mistake of ascribing -to the Count's _sister_ his interment and monumental inscription in -the church of the Minims, near Mantua, while the epitaph which he has -printed, bears that Aloysia Gonzaga placed it over a worthy _son_, -whom she unwillingly survived. Several dates in our text are supplied -from Vat. Urb. MSS. No. 904, p. 43.] - -Two days after Castiglione reached London he was sent for by the -King, whose marked favour, whilst he stated the objects of his -mission in an eloquent Latin address, is recorded in his own letters. -The installation took place on the 10th of November, upon the -following commission, printed by Ashmole:-- - -"Henry, by the grace of God, &c. Forasmuch as we understand that -the right noble prince Gwe de Ubaldis, Duke of Urbin, who was -heretofore elected to be one of the companions of the said noble -Order, cannot conveniently repair into this our realm, personally to -be installed in the collegiate church of that Order, and to perform -other ceremonies whereunto by the statutes of the said Order he is -bound, but for that intent and purpose hath sent a right honourable -personage, Balthasar de Castilione, Knight, sufficiently authorised -as his proctor, to be installed in his name, and to perform all other -things for him, to the statutes and ordinances of the said Order -requisite and appertaining. We, therefore, in consideration of the -premises, will, and by these presents, give unto you licence, full -power, and authority, not only to accept and admit the said Balthasar -as proctor for the same Duke, and to receive his oath and instal him -in the lieu and place and for the said Duke, but also farther, to do -therein as to the statutes and laudable usages of the said Order it -appertaineth; and this our writing shall be to you and every of you -sufficient discharge in that behalf. Given under the seale of our -said noble Order of the Garter, at our mannor of Grenewiche, the 7th -day of November, the twenty-second year of our reign." - -After the ceremonial was concluded, the Count visited the other -knights in the name of his master. This installation by proxy has -given rise to a confusion that he was himself honoured with the -Garter, which Roscoe first exposed. It is probable, however, that -he was knighted by Henry, a dignity he had vainly looked for at the -hand of Julius II. before his departure; at all events he received -from him, besides gifts of horses and dogs, a gold chain or collar -of SS links, from which depended two portcullises and a golden rose -with its centre of silver. This chain, long peculiar to English chief -justices, is traced by Dugdale from the initials of Saint Simplicius, -a primitive Christian judge and martyr; and the badge was adopted -by that monarch as heir of the Plantagenets through both rival -roses. The decoration, mistaken by Marliani for the collar of the -Garter, was destined by the Count as an heirloom, and it accordingly -surrounded his armorial coat in that dedication copy of his letter -to Henry, narrating the life of Guidobaldo, which he described by -Anstis. On the 9th of February, 1507, he was at Milan on his return -to Urbino, where he arrived about the end of the month, charged with -affectionate letters and messages from Henry, and with rich presents. -His conversation, of all that he had seen in a country so imperfectly -known, was greatly relished by the Duke, and his anecdotes of its -court, its wealth, and its wonders long continued to enliven the -palace-circle of Montefeltro. - - - - -APPENDIX III - -(Page 138) - -GIOVANNI SANZI'S MS. CHRONICLE OF FEDERIGO DUKE OF URBINO - - -Considering the importance of Sanzi's Rhyming Chronicle of Duke -Federigo to the literary history of Urbino, and the almost total -neglect in which it has hitherto lain, we shall here describe with -some minuteness the only copy of it known to exist. It is a large -and thick folio volume, No. 1305 of the Ottoboniana MSS. in the -Vatican Library, written on paper in a firm Italian hand of the -fifteenth century, expressly for the Duke Guidobaldo I., to whom it -is dedicated. Some passages have been interpolated on the margin, and -others are altered by pasting a new version over the cancelled lines, -in a character slightly different from that of the text, of which, -being probably autograph, a fac-simile is given on the following -page.[320] - -[Footnote 320: This marginal interpolation, occurring in the -dedication, runs thus:--"Pregandoti humilmente ryguardi ly gloriosi -fatti del tuo famoso padre, e non la basseza del myo style [not -"srypt," as Passavant reads it], ornato solo da me dy quella sincer -fede che deue vn fydeli servo al suo signore."] - -The general title, supplied in a much later hand, runs -thus:--"Historia della Guerra d'Italia nel tempo de' PP. Pio e Paolo -II., del 1478, in versi di Gio[~v]. Sati al Duca di Urbino"; but the -Chronicle itself is thus headed, "Principio del opera composta da -Giohanni Santi, pictore, nelaquale se contiene la vita e gesti de lo -illustrissimo et invictissimo Principe Federico Feretrano, Duca di -Urbino." A prose dedication occupies four pages, and is followed by a -prologue of nine chapters in verse; the poem itself is divided into a -hundred and four chapters, arranged in twenty-three books, the whole -work consisting of about twenty-four thousand lines.[321] It may be -not uninteresting to print the contents of these chapters, supplying -the omitted titles of the two first. - -[Footnote 321: Several errors in the numeration, both of the folios -and chapters, might readily deceive a superficial observer, and have -misled even Passavant.] - -[Illustration: [Transcriber's Note: handwritten text; see footnote -320 above]] - - LIBRO PRIMO. - - CAP. I. [Of the race of Montefeltro preceding Duke - Federico, and of his birth and betrothal.] - - CAP. II. [Of the boyish embassies of Count - Federico; of his education and marriage.] - - CAP. III. Nel quale se tracta de la prima militia - sua cum Nicolo Picinino. - - CAP. IV. Nel quale si tratta la rocta di Monte - Locho. - - CAP. V. De la predicta rocta di Monte Locho. - - - LIBRO SECONDO. - - CAP. VI. Nel quale se tratta el rincondurse del C. - Federico cum Nicolo Piccino e el guerre de la Marca. - - CAP. VII. Nel quale se tratta la morte del Duca - Oddantonio el diventare el Conte Signore de Urbino. - - CAP. VIII. Nel quale poi uarie cose, se tratta le - rebillione de la Marca contra el Conte Francesco Sforza. - - CAP. IX. Nel quale se tratta l'aspera guerra per - Papa Eugenio al Conte Federico. - - CAP. X. De varie cose e del tradimento de - Fossambrone contra del Conte Federico. - - CAP. XI. De la rotta del Signore Sigismondo ha - Fossambrone. - - - LIBRO TERZO. - - CAP. XII. Nel quale se contiene la guerra de - Toscana per il Re Alfonso contra Fiorentini, et la condutta - del Conte Federico cum loro. - - CAP. XIII. Nel quale se tratta de lo assedio di - Pionbino per el Re Alfonso. - - CAP. XIV. De la morte del Duca Phillippo, et - diverse guerre de Lombardia. - - - LIBRO QUARTO. - - CAP. XV. Nel quale se contiene la condutta del - Conte cum el Re Alfonso, et la guerra di Toscana al tempo - di Ferrante Duca de Calabria. - - CAP. XVI. De uarie cose de Lombardia, et la lega - quasi de tutta Italia, e l'andata del Conte a Napoli. - - CAP. XVII. Parlamento insieme del S. Sigismondo et - de Conte a Ferrara, per el mezo del Duca Borso. - - CAP. XVIII. Resposta del Conte al S. Sigismondo - nel predicto parlamento. - - - LIBRO QUINTO. - - CAP. XIX. Nel quale se contiene la guerra fra el - S. Sigismondo el Conte de Urbino, et la uenuta del Conte - Jacomo Piccinino contra del S. Sigismondo. - - CAP. XX. De la preditta guerra. - - - LIBRO SESTO. - - CAP. XXI. Nel quale se contiene el principio et - uarie guerre del Reame di Napoli al tempo del Duca Giohanni - contra de el Re Ferrante. - - CAP. XXII. Del andata del Conte Jacomo nel Reame - contra de el Re Ferrante. - - CAP. XXIII. De la rotta del Re a Sarno, et el - correre scontro de dui Braceschi cum dui Feltreschi. - - CAP. XXIV. Del fatto e l'arme de Santo Fabiano. - - CAP. XXV. Del preditto fatto d'arme de Santo - Fabiano. - - CAP. XXVI. Del predicto fatto d'arme. - - - LIBRO SETTIMO. - - CAP. XXVII. Nel quale se contiene uarie e diuerse - ribellione de cipta e castelli de la predicta guerra del - Reame. - - CAP. XXVIII. De la correria del Aquila a la citta, - et la expugnatione de Albi. - - - LIBRO OTTAVO. - - CAP. XXIX. Nel quale se contiene le predicte - guerre del Reame, et molti expugnatione de castelli, et - lo assedio famossissimo de Casteluccio, et la uenuta del - Signori chi erano in Abruzo per la sua liberatione. - - CAP. XXX. De la oratione fatta a li militi del - Conte, et la expugnatione di Castellucio. - - CAP. XXXI. Dele preditte guerre del Reame e dela - rotta del S. Napolione inela la Marca. - - - LIBRO NONO. - - CAP. XXXII. Nel quale se contiene la rotta che - dette el Conte al S. Sigismondo ha Senegaglia. - - CAP. XXXIII. Del preditto fatto d'arme. - - CAP. XXXIV. De la preditta guerra contra el S. - Sigismondo, et lo aquisto de diverse sue terre. - - CAP. XXXV. De la preditta guerra contra el S. - Sigismondo, et la industriosa expugnatione de la Rocha de - Veruchio, et la assedio di Fano. - - CAP. XXXVI. Del medesimo assedio di Fano, et la - uictoria di quello. - - - LIBRO DECIMO. - - CAP. XXXVII. Nel quale se contiene l'ultima ruina - del S. Sigismondo, landata del Papa Pio in Ancona et la sua - morte, la creatione de Paulo II., la ruina del stato de - Deifobo da l'Auguilara, et la guerra de Cesena, da poi la - morte del S Malatesta. - - CAP. XXXVIII. De la uictoria de Cesena la morte - del Duca Francesco [Sforza] et l'andata del Conte ha Milano. - - - LIBRO UNDECIMO. - - CAP. XXXIX. Nel quale se contiene la nouita de - Fiorenza nel sesanta sei, et la guerra de Romagna per - Bartholomeo da Bergamo. - - CAP. XL. De la preditta guerra de Romagna. - - CAP. XLI. Oratione del Conte a li suoi militi - nante el fatto d'arme de la Mulinella. - - CAP. XLII. Del bellissimo fatto d'arme fra - Bartholomeo, el Conte a la Mulinella. - - CAP. XLIII. Del preditto fatto d'arme de la - Mulinella. - - CAP. XLIV. De la preditta guerra, e 'l sachegiare - el Conte alle del Amone. - - - LIBRO DUODECIMO. - - CAP. XLV. Nel quale se contiene la guerra et lo - assedio de Arimino per Papa Paulo. - - CAP. XLVI. Del preditto assedio de Arimino, et una - proua mirabile del S. Roberto. - - CAP. XLVII. De la preditta guerra, e una alto - pensiero del Conte per la liberatione de Arimino.[322] - - [Footnote 322: This chapter being numbered XLVI. by mistake - in the original, the subsequent numbers here given are - always in advance by _one_ until Cap. LXXIII.] - - CAP. XLVIII. De la preditta guerra, e locutione - del Conte ali militi nante el fatto, d'arme da Ceresuolo. - - CAP. XLIX. De la uenuta de le gente de la Chiesa a - trouare el Conte. - - CAP. L. Del bellissimo fatto d'arme da Cerisuolo. - - CAP. LI. Del preditto fatto d'arme de Cerisuolo. - - CAP. LII. Dela rotta dele gente de la Chiesa a - Cerisuolo. - - CAP. LIII. Del fine de la guerra di Arimino. - - - LIBRO DECIMO TERZO. - - CAP. LIV. Nel quale se tratta la rebellione de - Volterra contra Fiorentini, et l'andata del Conte per - campegiarla. - - CAP. LV. Del campegiare de Volterra. - - CAP. LVI. Del sacho de Volterra. - - CAP. LVII. Dela tornata del Conte a casa, et dela - morte dela excellentissima donna sua, Madonna Baptista - Sforza. - - - LIBRO DECIMO QUARTO. - - CAP. LVIII. Nel quale se contiene le fabriche et - magni hedificii che fea murare el Conte, et inparte la sua - uita altempo di pace. - - CAP. LIX. Delo istudio del Conte, et dela venuta - del Cardinale de Samsixto ad Ogobio. - - - LIBRO DECIMO QUINTO. - - CAP. LX. In questo se contiene l'andata del Conte - ha Napoli, et molti honori et dignita quale habbe in quella - andata. - - CAP. LXI. Et quale tratta como el Conte fu fatto - Duca de Urbino, et delo assedio dela cipta de Castello. - - CAP. LXII. De varie turbulentie, et precipue de - Romagna. - - - LIBRO DECIMO SESTO. - - CAP. XLIII. Nel quale se contiene la venuta delo - Re Ferrante a Roma, l'andata del Duca, et la dignita de la - Galatera. - - CAP. LXIV. Como el Duca receue la Galatea, et de - la morte del Duca Galeazo Duca de Milano. - - CAP. LXV. Del luoco, et como, el di che fu morto - el preditto Duca Galeazo Maria. - - CAP. LXVI. Discurso de la dubia uita de Signori et - de grani ciptadini. - - - LIBRO DECIMO SETTIMO. - - CAP. LXVII. Nel quale se contiene la tornata del - Conte Carlo [Braccio] a Montone, le nouita de Penisia per - la sua uenuta, et landata che lui fea contra Senesi. - - CAP. LXVIII. Del andare el Conte a campo a - Montone, et la expugnatione de esso Montone. - - - LIBRO DECIMO OCTAVO. - - CAP. LXIX. Nel qual se contiene como el Signor - Carlo Manfredi fu chaciato de Faenza da el fratello - chiamato el Signor Galeotto; la mossa che fece el Conte in - suo favore, et como nel tornare adrieto essendo a Sanmarino - se ruppe uno piede. - - CAP. LXX. Del modo et conmo el Duca se ruppe - el piede, et de la grauissima sua egritudine et de la - conjuratione contra li Medici in Fiorenza. - - CAP. LXXI. De lo insulto contra de Laurentio de - Medici, et de la morte del suo fratello Giuliano. - - CAP. LXXII. De la destrutione de la casa de - Pazzi, et del principio de la guerra de Toscano nel - MCCCLXXVIII. - - - LIBRO DECIMO NONO. - - CAP. LXXIII.[323] Nel quale se tratta el primo - anno dela guerra di Toscana. - - [Footnote 323: This chapter, being omitted in the original - numeration, the subsequent five numbers are in advance by - _two_.] - - CAP. LXXIV. Dela unione che fece insieme el Duca - Alfonso Duca di Calabria, el Duca de Urbino. - - CAP. LXXV. Delo assedio del Monte Samsavino, et - dele dificulta che il Duca ui sostinne. - - CAP. LXXVI. Oratione lunga del Duca ali militi al - Monte Samsavino. - - CAP. LXXVII. Dela preditta oratione. - - CAP. LXXVIII. Del astutia che uso el Duca per - hauere la triegua al Monte Samsavino. - - CAP. LXXIX. Dela proposta del Duca dela triegua - ali Signori del Campo, et dela expugnatione del Monte.[324] - - [Footnote 324: This chapter being omitted in the original - numeration, the subsequent numbers are in advance by - _three_ until No. XCVII.] - - - LIBRO VIGESIMO. - - CAP. LXXX. Nel quale se contiene el secondo anno - dela guerra de Toscana. - - CAP. LXXXI. De diuersi danni de Perusini, et dela - morte del Conte Carlo, e altre cose. - - CAP. LXXXII. Dela ruina de Casole, luoco de - Senesi, et dela uitoria del Signor Roberto ala Magione. - - CAP. LXXXIII. De molti danni de Perusini per - el Signor Roberto, et l'aquisto per el Duca del Monte - Inperiale. - - CAP. LXXXIV. De liberarse li Perusini dali danni - de Signor Roberto et delo assedio di Colle. - - CAP. LXXXV. Del predicto assedio di Colle. - - CAP. LXXXVI. Dela battaglia prima data ha Colle. - - CAP. LXXXVII. De poi piu baptaglie data ha Colle, - et la uictoria hauta di lui. - - CAP. LXXXVIII. De l'andata di Lorenzo di Medici a - Napoli, et la pace cum Fiorentini del Papa et del Re. - - - LIBRO VIGESIMO PRIMO. - - CAP. LXXXIX. Dela stantia del Duca a Viterbo, et - dela dignita del Capello et dela Spada. - - CAP. XC. Delo aquisto de Furli per et Conte - Geronimo Riario, et prima del andata del Duca. - - CAP. XCI. Dela uictoria di Furli, et la - possessione de esso per el preditto Conte, et la uenuta de - Turchi a Otranto. - - CAP. XCII. De la guerra de Turchi in Puglia. - - - LIBRO VIGESIMO SECONDO. - - CAP. XCIII. Nel quale se contiene la guerra de - Ferrara per li Venetiani contra del Duca Ercule di Este, - et prima dela practica de essa guerra, l'andata del Conte - Geronimo a Vinesa. - - CAP. XCIV. Dela preditta guerra de Ferara, et - landata del Signor Roberto da Santo Seuerino a Vinesa. - - CAP. XCV. Dela partita del Duca da Urbino per - andare a Milano, e una disputa dela pictura. - - CAP. XCVI. Dela ditta guerra de Ferrara, et dello - assedio de Figaruolo. - - CAP. XCVII.[325] Del preditto assedio de - Figaruolo, le turbulentie de Roma, l'andata del Signor - Roberto Malatesta. - - [Footnote 325: This number being repeated by mistake in the - original, the subsequent numbers are in advance by _two_.] - - CAP. XCVIII. Del ditto assedio de Figaruolo, e - de la morte de Messer Pier deli Ubaldini al bastione dala - Punta. - - CAP. XCIX. Dela aspre battaglie quale deva el - Signor Roberto da Santo Seuerino a Figaruolo. - - CAP. C. Como el Signor Roberto da poi molte - baptaglie vinse Figaruolo. - - - LIBRO VIGESIMO TERZO. - - CAP. CI. Nel quale se contiene el ponte che fece - el Signore Roberto per passare el Po, la rotta del Duca di - Callabria a Campomorto. - - CAP. CII. Como se parti da Castello le gente - Feltresche, et andaro a Furli. - - CAP. CIII. Dela egritudine del Duca, et la uenuta - sua in Ferrara. - - CAP. CIV. Dela morte del Duca, et del Signore - Roberto Malatesta. - - - - -APPENDIX IV - -(Page 138) - -EPITAPH OF GIOVANNI DELLA ROVERE - - -The inscription upon the humble headstone of the sovereigns of -Sinigaglia in the nave of Sta. Maria delle Grazie, runs thus:-- - - D.O.M. - - JOHANNES DE RUVERE, - - Senogalliae vetustissimae civitatis - Dominus, Almae urbis Prefectus, - Sori Arcanaeque Dux, exercituum Sixti - Quarti, Innocentii Octavi, summus Imperator, - Maximorum Pontificium Sixti nepos, - Julii Secundi frater, cum uxore sua - Joanna Monfeltria, Federici Urbini - Ducis filia, praestantioribus - Et nobilioribus feminis, adversis - Secundisque rebus, conferenda et - Preferenda, magnum hoc templum - Affundamentis erexit; et multis - Egregiis tam bello quam pace actis, - Procaci abreptus morte, - Anno Domini MDI., - Aetatisque suae quadragesimo quarto, - Hic tumulatur. - - - - -APPENDIX V - -(Page 348) - -REMISSION AND REHABILITATION OF DUKE FRANCESCO MARIA I. IN 1511-13. - - -Having no wish to overload these pages with a papal bull, either in -its barbarous Latinity or in a crabbed translation, we shall content -ourselves with abbreviating the formal record of the investigation -and sentence of absolution, dated the 9th of December, 1511, by -which the Duke of Urbino was acquitted of the slaughter of the -Cardinal of Pavia. Julius, in that document, sets forth that, after -reducing Bologna to obedience of the Church, he placed over it -the Cardinal as legate, who ungratefully betrayed his duty to the -Pope and the Church by secretly plotting for restoration of the -Bentivoglii, and for defeat of the army under command of the Duke, -as well as by withdrawing to Ravenna on pretext of terror, but in -fact to conceal his treason. That having, by these and many other -enormities, incurred the guilt of treason and lese-majesty, he was -slain by Francesco Maria; and that, on a complaint of this outrage -being preferred, his Holiness, judging from the first aspect of the -affair that this crime against the dignity of the purple afforded so -pernicious an example, and such general horror and scandal abroad, as -to require an impartial inquiry, had remitted it to six cardinals, -in order to make sifting inquest into the matter, receiving secret -oral testimony, without reference to the ties of blood, but with -ample powers, judicial and extra-judicial, to carry out the process -to its conclusion, and to pronounce sentence therein. And the -apostolic procurator-fiscal having appeared to support the charges, -required the Duke's committal to prison ere he should be allowed -to plead, in order to secure the due course of justice against any -elusory proceedings; whereupon he was put under arrest in his own -house, and bound over to appear in the sum of 100,000 golden ducats. -Thereafter, the judges having taken evidence and published it, the -Pope advocated the cause and pronounced an acquittal, which the -Duke refused to accept, insisting that the prosecution should take -its course, and returning under arrest until it should do so. This -having been proceeded with, the cardinals gave sentence, acquitting -him "of the said charge of homicide, and the punishment it legally -inferred," and debarring all future action thereanent at the public -prosecutor's instance. Whereupon Julius embodied this narrative in -a bull subscribed by eighteen cardinals, and formally guaranteed by -the amplest authority, as a protection to Francesco Maria against any -future question affecting his tranquillity and status.[326] - -[Footnote 326: The notorial transumpt of this bull, verified in 1516 -by three notaries in presence of the municipality of Urbino, is -preserved in the Archivio Diplomatico at Florence, and the preceding -abridgment was made from an authenticated extract obtained by me -there in 1845. In the same archives there is another formal acquittal -to the like purpose, which it is needless to quote.] - -The remission of the Duke's subsequent misconduct was contained in -a papal brief of the 10th of January, 1513, addressed to himself, -wherein it was stated that he had been accused by many of maintaining -intelligence with the King of France before the battle of Ravenna, -and of other intrigues against the Roman Government, as well as of -various crimes, including slaughter of cardinals and lese-majesty, -and that he had in consequence been deprived of his dukedom and -dignities; but that having experienced his zeal and good faith in -the like matters, the Pontiff could not persuade himself of his -guilt, for which reason he, _ex motu proprio_, granted to him and his -adherents plenary remission from all spiritual and temporal censures -and sentences incurred therein, and restored him to all his honours -and dignities. The entire wording of this document, the original of -which is preserved along with the bull just quoted, shows a studious -exactitude and elaboration of terms, so as to guard it against -future question; but, considering its importance with reference to -the prosecution subsequently mooted against the Duke by Leo X., it -may be well here to give the _ipsissima verba_ of the remission -clauses. The brief is addressed, but has no counter-signature; a -transumpt of it in the same archive has the name "Baldassar Tuerdus" -as a counter-signature. - -"Motu proprio, et ex certa nostra scientia ac matura deliberatione, -et apostolice potestatis plenitudine, apostolica auctoritate, tenore -presentium, tibi et illis plenarie remittimus pariter et indulgemus, -teque ac illos, et illorum singulos, ab omnibus sententiis censuris -et penis quibuslibet, spiritualibus et temporalibus, a jure vel ab -homine quomodolibet promulgatis, auctoritate scientia et potestate -predictis, absolvimus et liberamus, ac te tuosque filios, natos et -nascituros ac heredes quoscunque, ad Vicariatum, Ducatum, Comitatus, -teque ac subditos, adherentes, complices ac sequaces, ac singulorum -eorundem heredes, ad feuda, dominia, honores et dignitates, offitia, -privelegia, bona ac jura, ac ad actus legitimos, quibus forsan -premissorum, et alia quacunque occasione, etiam de necessitate -experimenda privati, censeri possetis, auctoritate scientia et -potestate premissis restituimus, et etiam reintegramus, et ad eundem -statum reducimus et reponimus, in quo tu et illi eratis ante tempus -quo premissa commisissetis; districtius inhibentes quibuscunque -officialibus nostris, et dicte Ecclesie, qui sunt et pro tempore -erunt, ne contra te et subditos, adherentes, complices et sequaces, -aut aliquem vestrum, occasione hujusmodi criminum possint procedere, -aut occasione premissorum te vel illos, aut aliquem eorum, molestare -quoquo modo presumant; ac decernentes ex nunc irritum et inane -quicquid ac quoscunque processus et sententias, quos seu quas -contra inhibitionem nostram hujusmodi haberi contigerit, seu etiam -promulgari." - - - - -APPENDIX VI - -(Page 392) - -LETTER FROM CARDINAL WOLSEY TO LORENZO DE' MEDICI - - -The following letter has been lately printed by the Marchese Caponi, -in the _Archivio Storico Italiano_, vol. I., p. 472, from the -original in his possession:-- - - To the most illustrious and most excellent Prince our Lord - Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino, dear to us as a brother. - - Most illustrious and most excellent Lord Duke, dear to us - as a brother, - - The Signor Adriano, your Excellency's servant, has - delivered your most courteous and kind letters addressed - to us, on eagerly perusing which we recognised with great - satisfaction your Excellency's friendly dispositions in - our behalf. We have in consequence received the said - Signor Adriano with the greatest possible civility, and - have freely offered and promised him our every favour and - support in all places and circumstances. Having learned - that your Excellency takes no small pleasure in dogs, - we now send you by your said servant some blood-hounds - [_odorissequos_], and also several stag-hounds of uncommon - fleetness, and of singular strength in pulling down their - game. And we farther specially beg of you to let us know if - there be anything else in this famed kingdom that you would - wish; and should you in future boldly make use in your - affairs of my assistance, good-will, and influence, such as - it is, whether with his Majesty my sovereign, who is most - favourably disposed towards you, or with any other person - whatsoever, you will find me willing and ready to oblige - you. May you be preserved in happiness. From our palace in - London, the 28th of June, 1518. - - As your Excellency's brother, - - T. CARDINAL OF YORK. - - -END OF THE SECOND VOLUME. - - - - -GENEALOGICAL TABLES - -[Transcriber's Note: In the original genealogical tables, natural -children are denoted by a wavy line, here represented by the ! -symbol.] - - - - -DESCENT OF THE DELLA ROVERE DUKES OF URBINO. - - - LUDOVICO LEONARDO = LUCHINA STELLA MUGLIONE. - DELLA ROVERE. | - | - _____________|________________________________________________ - | | | | - FRANCESCO DELLA ROVERE, RAFFAELE = TEODORA ---- = GIOVANNI JOLANDA | GIROLAMO - POPE SIXTUS IV., | MENEROLA. | BASSO, RIARIO. - b. 1414, d. 1484. | | d. 1483. - | | - _______________________________| | - | | - | __________________________________________|________ - | | | | | | 1476. - | GIROLAMO, FRANCESCO, BARTOLOMEO. GUGLIELMO, ANTONIO = CATERINA - | Cardinal, of Prior of d. 1482. MARCIANA, - | S. Chrisogono, Pisa. niece of - | d. 1507. Ferdinand - | of Naples. - |_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ - | | | | 1474. | - BARTOLOMEO, GIULIANO DELLA ROVERE, LEONARDO, Duke = GIOVANNA, GIOVANNI, Prefect = GIOVANNA DI GABRIELE GARA = LUCHINA = G. FRANCESCO - Patriarch POPE JULIUS II., of Sora, | nat. daughter of Rome, Lord of | MONTEFELTRO, DELLA ROVERE. | | FRANCIOTTI, - of Antioch. b. 1453, d. 1513. Prefect of | of Ferdinand Sinigaglia, | of Urbino, | | DELLA ROVERE, - ! Rome, d. 1475. | of Naples, b. 1458, d. 1501. | d. 1514. | | of Lucca. - ! | Duchess of | | | - ! | Sora. | | | - ! | | | | - ! S.P. | | | - __________________! _____________________________________________________________| | | - ! | | | - ! | _____________________________________________________________________________________| | - ! | | | | | - ! | RAFFAELE. SISTO, Cardinal GERAUD | SISTA = GALEAZZO _______________________________________| - ! | of S. Pietro D'ANCEZUN, RIARIO. | | | - ! | in Vincula, d. 1503. | | | - ! | d. 1577. GALEOTTO, Cardinal NICOLO = ---- LUCREZIA = MARCANTONIO - ! |______________________________________________________ of S. Pietro in | COLONNA. - ! | Vincula. | - !_______________________________________________________________________ | | - | 1 2 | | | | ___________________| - RAFFAELE, = NICOLOSA = ANTONIO FELICE = GIAN-GIORDANO GIULIA. CLARICE. | | | 1541. - d. 1502. FOGLIANO, DELLA ROVERE. ORSINI, of | GUIDO. LAVINIA = PAOLO ORSINI. - of Fermo. Bracciano. | - _____________________________________________________________________________|__________________ - | | 1509. 1497. | 2 | | - FEDERIGO, FRANCESCO MARIA I., = LEONORA IPPOLITA, VENANZIO = MARIA = GALEAZZO COSTANZA, DEODATA. - died young. DUKE OF URBINO, | d. of Francesco VARANA, R. SFORZA. d. 1507. - b. 1490, d. 1538. | Marquis of Mantua, d. 1503. - | d. 1543. - | - _____________________________|_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ - | 1534. | 1548. | 1547. | 1548. | 1552. | - FEDERIGO, GIULIA VARANA, = GUIDOBALDO II. = VITTORIA FARNESE, IPPOLITA = DON ANTONIO GIULIA = ALFONSO D'ESTE, ELISABETTA, = ALBERICO CIBO, GIULIO, Cardinal - died young. d. of Giovanni | DUKE OF URBINO, | d. of Pier-Luigi, D'ARAGONA {S} Marq. of d. 1561. {S} Marquis of Archbishop of - Maria, Duke of | b. 1514, | Duke of Parma, DI MONTALTO. Montecchio, of Massa. Urbino, 1533, - Camerino, | d. 1574. | d. 1602. whom the Dukes d. 1578. - b. 1523, | ! | of Modena. ! - d. 1547. | ! |_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ! - | !____________________ | | | !______________ - _________________________| ! | | | ! - | 1560. | ! 1570. | 1599. | 1565. | 1583. ! - A son. COUNT FEDERIGO = VIRGINIA = FERDINANDO ORSINI, ! LUCREZIA D'ESTE, = FRANCESCO MARIA II., = LIVIA DELLA ROVERE, ISABELLA = BERN. DI S. LAVINIA = ALFONSO ! - BORROMEO, S.P. Duke of Gravina. ! d. of Ercole II., | DUKE OF URBINO, | d. of Marquis of S. SEVERINO, d. 1632. D'AVALOS, ! - brother of ! Duke of Ferrara, | b. 1549 + 1631. | Lorenzo, b. 1585. Prince of Marq. of ! - S. Carlo. ! b. 1536, | | Basignano. Pescara. ! - ! d. 1598. S.P. | ! - _________________________________________________! | _________________________________________! - | | | | | - | { 1. COUNT ANTONIO A daughter = SIGNOR GUIDOBALDO | IPPOLITO, Marq. = ISABELLA VITELLI GIULIANO, - A daughter = { LANDRIANO. RENIER. | of S. Lorenzo. | DELL'AMATRICE. Abbot of - { 2. SIGNOR P. ANTONIO | | S. Lorenzo. - { DA LUNA. | ______________________________|__________ - | | | 1599. | - _______________________________________________| GIULIO. LIVIA, = FRANCESCO MARIA II., LUCREZIA = MARCANTONIO, - | 1621. b. 1585. DUKE OF URBINO. Marq. Lante. - FEDERIGO-UBALDO, = CLAUDIA DE' MEDICI, = ARCHDUKE LEOPOLD - b. 1605, d. 1623. | b. 1606, d. of of Austria. - | Ferdinand I., - | Grand Duke of - | of Florence. - | - | 1637. - VITTORIA, = FERDINAND II., Grand - b. 1622, {S} Duke of Florence, - d. 1694. b. 1630, d. 1670. - - - - -DESCENT OF THE MEDICI, as connected with URBINO. - -_From Les Geneaologies Souveraines._ - - - GIOVANNI DE' MEDICI - 5th from Lippo de' M. of - Florence who d. 1258, - d. 1428. - | - _____|_____________________ - | | - COSIMO DE' M., = CONTESINA LORENZO DE' M., = GINEVRA - _Pater Patriae_, | DE' BARDI. d. 1440. | CAVALCANTI. - d. 1464. | | - | | - PIETRO DE' M., = LUCREZIA PIER-FRANCESCO = LAUDAMIA - d. 1472. | TORNABONI. DE' M., | ACCIAJOLI. - | d. 1477. |__________________________________________________ - ______________________|__________________________ | - | | | | - LORENZO DE' M., = CLARICE BIANCA = GUGLIELMO GIULIANO | - _the Magnificent_, | ORSINI. DE' PAZZI. DE' M., | - d. 1492. | d. 1478. | - | ! | - | GIULIO DE' M., | - | CLEMENT VII., | - | d. 1535. | - _______________|_____________________________________________________________ | - | | | | | - PIETRO DE' M., = ALFONSINA GIOVANNI DE' M., GIULIANO DE' M., = FILIBERTA, MADDALENA = FRANCESCO CIBO, | - d. 1504. | ORSINI. LEO X., d. 1521. _the Magnificent_, of Savoy. Count of | - | Duke de Nemours, Anguillara. | - | d. 1516. | - LORENZO DE' M., = MADELEINE ! _________________________________________| - Duke of Urbino, | DE LA TOUR. ! | - d. 1519. | IPPOLITO DE' M., | - ! | Cardinal, | - ! | d. 1535. | - ! | | - ! CATERINA DE' M., = HENRY II. | - ! d. 1589. of France. | - ! | - ALESSANDRO DE' M., = MARGARETTA OF AUSTRIA, | - Duke of Florence, bastard of Charles V. | - d. 1537. | - ____________________________________________________________| - | - GIOVANNI GIORDANO = CATERINA RIARIO SFORZA, - DE' M. | of Imola. - | - GIOVANNI DE' M., = MARIA SALVIATI. - _delle bande nere_, | - d. 1526. | - | - COSIMO I. DE' M., = ELEONORA DI TOLEDO. - GRAND DUKE | - OF FLORENCE, | - d. 1574. | - | - _____________________|_____________ - | | - JOANNA, of = FRANCESCO MARIA DE' M., = BIANCA FERDINAND II. DE' M., = CHRISTINE - Austria. GRAND DUKE OF FLORENCE, CAPELLO. GRAND DUKE OF FLORENCE, | DE LORAINE. - d. 1587. d. 1608. | - _______________________________________________________________| - | 1 | 2 - COSIMO II. DE' M., = MARIA MADDALENA, FEDERIGO, Prince = CLAUDIA = ARCHDUKE LEOPOLD, - GRAND DUKE OF of Austria. of Urbino, | of Austria. - FLORENCE, d. 1621. d. 1623. | - | - FERDINAND II. DE' MEDICI, = VITTORIA DELLA ROVERE, - GRAND DUKE OF FLORENCE, {S} Princess of Urbino. - d. 1670. - - - - -DESCENT OF THE COLONNA, as connected with URBINO. - - - AGAPITO, eleventh in descent = CATERINA CONTI. - from Pietro Colonna, | - who lived in 1100. | - ____________________|_________ - | | - ODDO, elected MARTIN V. LORENZO ONOFRIO = SUEVA GAETANI - in 1407, d. 1431. | DA FONDI. - ____________________________________________|_________________ - | | | - ODOARDO, Duke = FILIPPA CONTI. ANTONIO, Duke of = IMPERIALE CATERINA = GUIDANTONIO, - of Marsi. | Paliano, d. 1471. | COLONNA. d. 1438. {S} Count of - | | Urbino. - __________|______ | - | | | - LORENZO ODDONE, FABRIZIO, Grand = AGNESE DI | - d. 1484. Constable of | MONTEFELTRO, | - | Naples, d. 1520. | d. 1522. | - | ! | | - MUZIO, ! | | - d. 1516. SCIARRA. | | - | | - ______________________________| |_______ - | | | - ASCANIO, Grand = GIOVANNA VITTORIA, = FERDINANDO, | - Constable of {S} D'ARAGONA, b. 1490, Fr. Marquis | - Naples, claimant natural d. 1548. of Pescara, | - of Urbino, branch of d. 1525. | - d. 1557. the Crown | - of Naples. | - ______________________________________________________| - | | | | - GIROLAMO = VITTORIA CARDINAL PIER = BERNARDINA PROSPERO, - | CONTI. GIOVANNI, ANTONIO. | CONTI. d. 1523. - | d. 1508. |____ - _____|_________________________ | - | | | | | - CARDINAL OTTAVIANO. MARCELLO. GIULIO. MARC ANTONIO = LUCREZIA - POMPEO, | | GARA DELLA - d. 1532. | | ROVERE. - | | - MARZIO, OTTAVIA = SIGISMONDO - d. 1546. 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