Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. II.djvu/217

193 CLASSICAL LEARNING.— SCIENCE. 193 stantly repaired to court, and in the month of chapter XIX September following, we have a letter dated from — ' Saragossa, in which he thus speaks of his success. Maityr. " My house, all day long, swarms with noble youths, who, reclaimed from ignoble pursuits to those of letters, are now convinced that these, so far from being a hindrance, are rather a help in the profession of arms. I earnestly inculcate on them, that consummate excellence in any department, whether of war or peace, is unattainable without science. It has pleased our royal mistress, the pattern of every exalted virtue, that her own near kinsman, the duke of Guimaraens, as well as the young duke of Villahermosa, the king's nephew, should remain under my roof during the whole day; an example which has been imitated by the princi- pal cavaliers of the court, who, after attending my lectures in company with their private tutors, retire at evening to review them with these latter in their own quarters." '^ Another Italian scholar, often cited as authority oftucioMa- '' rineo. in the preceding portion of this work, Lucio Mari- neo Siculo, cooperated with Martyr in the intro- duction of a more liberal scholarship among the Castilian nobles. He was born at Bedino in Sicily, and, after completing his studies at Rome under the celebrated Pomponio Leto, opened a school in his native island, where he continued to teach for five years. He was then induced to visit Spain, in 1486, with the admiral Henriquez, and soon took 13 Peter Martyr, Opus Epist., epist. 115. VOL. II. 25