DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42861#0300
260
THE COURT OF URBINO
were assembled, and they began to sing Te Deum
laudamus and other devout prayers. When the
blessing had been given, they came out of church and
entered the palace, accompanied by the Bishop and
all the clergy and a great multitude of people, and
they remained in the palace till past midnight, and
every day and every night Her Excellency has been
feted in this manner. She is very well and com-
mends herself to Your Illustrious Highness, and, poor
as I am, I venture to throw myself at your feet, and
hope Your Excellency with forgive my presumption.
—Your most faithful servant, Alexander, Sene-
schal.” 1
Thus the good Duchess came back to reign over
this people who adored her, and charm the hearts of
men by her gentleness and sweetness. For the next
few years the court of Urbino shone with more than
its old lustre, and the most brilliant cavaliers and
most accomplished scholars and artists—Castiglione
and Bembo, Cristoforo Romano and l’Unico Aretino—
sought a home in this palace, where Guidobaldo and
Elisabetta held up before the world a noble example
of the purest virtue and the most refined culture.
By degrees the home of the Montefeltri regained
its former splendour. It is true that the priceless
tapestries of the Trojan war were never recovered,
but the famous library, and many of the treasures
of art which the palace had formerly contained, were
restored by Caesar Borgia, who, in his anxiety to
conciliate the new Pope, was abject in his professions
of friendship for the Duke, whom he had wronged so
cruelly. But the election of Julius II. had sealed his
doom. He was too dangerous a rival to be allowed to
1 Luzio e Renier, op. cit., p. 150.
THE COURT OF URBINO
were assembled, and they began to sing Te Deum
laudamus and other devout prayers. When the
blessing had been given, they came out of church and
entered the palace, accompanied by the Bishop and
all the clergy and a great multitude of people, and
they remained in the palace till past midnight, and
every day and every night Her Excellency has been
feted in this manner. She is very well and com-
mends herself to Your Illustrious Highness, and, poor
as I am, I venture to throw myself at your feet, and
hope Your Excellency with forgive my presumption.
—Your most faithful servant, Alexander, Sene-
schal.” 1
Thus the good Duchess came back to reign over
this people who adored her, and charm the hearts of
men by her gentleness and sweetness. For the next
few years the court of Urbino shone with more than
its old lustre, and the most brilliant cavaliers and
most accomplished scholars and artists—Castiglione
and Bembo, Cristoforo Romano and l’Unico Aretino—
sought a home in this palace, where Guidobaldo and
Elisabetta held up before the world a noble example
of the purest virtue and the most refined culture.
By degrees the home of the Montefeltri regained
its former splendour. It is true that the priceless
tapestries of the Trojan war were never recovered,
but the famous library, and many of the treasures
of art which the palace had formerly contained, were
restored by Caesar Borgia, who, in his anxiety to
conciliate the new Pope, was abject in his professions
of friendship for the Duke, whom he had wronged so
cruelly. But the election of Julius II. had sealed his
doom. He was too dangerous a rival to be allowed to
1 Luzio e Renier, op. cit., p. 150.