Page:The Book of the Courtier.djvu/718

 NOTES TO THE FOURTH BOOK OF THE COURTIER his dominions from the ravages of war. Although, as Castiglione's natural lord, he was asked and gave his consent to the latter's entry into the Duke of Urbino's court (1504), he seems to have continued to resent the affair until Castiglione's return (1516) to his service, — in which the author remained when this part of the text was written. Castiglione's eulogy was far from unde- served, for to the Marquess's munificence, no less than to his consort's taste and enthusiasm, must be ascribed the lustre of their provincial court. Besides , being a patron of art and letters, he was also a successful breeder of horses for use both in war and in racing. Note 447, page 274. The duke is said to have had no small share in plan- ning the palace; his chief architect was one Luciano, a native of Laurana in Dalmatia on the eastern coast of the Adriatic. The cost of the structure was about £"400,000 sterling. See, besides the authorities cited in note 28, Luzio and Renier's MantoT^a e Urbino, (Roux: Turin: 1893), p. 10, note i. Note 448, page 274. The ancient basilica of St. Peter's had become ruinous by 1450, but little was done towards rebuilding it until 1506, when the execution of Bramante's plan was begun with the solemn laying of the first stone by Julius II on Sunday, 18 April. On the death of Bramante, Raphael was put in charge of the work in 1514, as we have seen (note 98), but, apparently owing to lack of funds, progress was slow until 153^1 when Michelangelo's designs were substituted. The dome was completed in 1590, and the church dedicated in 1626. Note 449, page 274. This 'street' was designed by Bramante to be a kind of triumphal way connecting the Vatican with the Belvedere pavilion. It was to be bordered by palaces, courts, gardens, porticoes, terraces, etc., but the death of Julius II led to the abandonment of the plan. Note 450, page 274. Pozzuoli (the ancient Puteolij, situated seven miles west of Naples, was originally a Greek city, but became one of the chief com- mercial ports of the Roman Empire, and a resort of the patrician class. It is noted for its ruins, especially those of a large amphitheatre. Baja (the ancient Baiae), on the Gulf of Pozzuoli, was the chief Roman water- ing place, famous for its luxury, and containing the villas of many celebrated Romans. Its principal antiquities are ruins of baths. Civita Vecchia lies on the coast about thirty-eight miles north-west of Rome, and was anciently known as Centum Cellae. The Emperor Trajan (reigned 98-117 A.D.) converted it from a poor village into a great seaport, and of his monuments some remains are still extant. Porto was a Roman city near the mouths of the Tiber. In Castiglione's time it had become a marshy island. One of the earliest Italian archaeologists, Flavio Biondo, visited the site in 1451, and found there many huge marble blocks ready for building and bearing quarry marks of the imperial period. The Apollo Belvedere was discovered here in 1503. 410