Page:The Oxford book of Italian verse.djvu/547

NOTES Ercole I, at Ferrara, 1491, and podestà of Mantua; went as ambassador to Maximilian of Austria and to Alexander VI; was in Rome with Cardinal Ippolito d'Este, 1497; Captain of Justice at Ferrara, 1500. Obtained the restitution of his confiscated property from Cesare Borgia, who was governor of Pesaro, but lost it again when Sforza returned in 1503. Was enticed to Pesaro in 1504, and was murdered in prison by order of Giovanni Sforza. Wrote a history of the kingdom of Naples, Lucianic dialogues in Latin and Italian, translated Terence; his Commedia dl Jacop e di Josef was acted in 1504; his Latin works include a Descriptio rerum Germanicarum and a Defensio Pliniana. The Canzone alla Morte was probably written during his first captivity.

 (page 184). Born at Florence. Son of Piero di Cosimo (Bicci) de' Medici and Lucrezia Tornabuoni. Studied literature with Gentile d' Urbino and Cristoforo Landino, Greek with Giovanni Argiropolo, and philosophy with Marsilio Ficino. Succeeded his father as Principe della Repubblica in 1469; the death of his brother Giuliano in the Pazzi conspiracy left him supreme in Florence. He displayed great wisdom and courage in political affairs, averting a war which seemed inevitable by going to Naples and placing himself in the power of the detestable King Ferrante, who was allied with Sixtus IV against Florence, and winning him over to peace by his eloquence (1479). He maintained a balance of power throughout Italy, and kept his excitable Florentines quiet by means of perpetual festivities and pageants. His court was thronged with the greatest artists and scholars of his time; Poliziano and Pulci shared his passion for the bel viver italiano that was so soon to vanish. He died in his villa at Careggi; Savonarola visited him during his last hours; and he was buried in the Sagrestia vecchia of San Lorenzo. In addition to his secular poems he wrote 547