DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.36838#0439
CHAPTER XXIV
1518
Castiglione's friends in Rome—The early days of Leo X.—Scholars
and poets hock to Rome—The Roman humanists—Colocci,
Goritz, Sadoleto, Raphael—Castiglione's poems and sonnets—
Giuliano de' Medici in Rome—Fetes at the Capitol—Cas-
tiglione returns to Urbino—Fresh schemes for his marriage.
Ix spite of the burden of diplomatic business and
private correspondence under which Castiglione
groaned, these months which he spent in the Bishop
of Trirarico's house in the Borgo were very happy
ones. It was a memorable and eventful time both
in the history of Rome and in that of the Papacy.
Never before had the Eternal City witnessed so great
a concourse of scholars and poets as in these early
days of Eeo X. The accession of a Medici Pope,
who, in his own words, ' had grown up in a library and
loved the tine arts from his cradle/ attracted men of
letters not only from Florence, but from all parts of
Italy/ The poets who sang the praises of the house
of Medici, and acclaimed Leo X. as a new Mecamas,
found themselves lavishly rewarded. Ariosto, it is
true, who had hastened to salute his old friend, was
sent away unsatisfied, and driven to conclude that
the Pope, having given up the use of his eyeglass,
had failed to recognize him. But ducats were freely
showered on smaller men, and crowds of poetasters
* Pastor, iv. 426.
364
1518
Castiglione's friends in Rome—The early days of Leo X.—Scholars
and poets hock to Rome—The Roman humanists—Colocci,
Goritz, Sadoleto, Raphael—Castiglione's poems and sonnets—
Giuliano de' Medici in Rome—Fetes at the Capitol—Cas-
tiglione returns to Urbino—Fresh schemes for his marriage.
Ix spite of the burden of diplomatic business and
private correspondence under which Castiglione
groaned, these months which he spent in the Bishop
of Trirarico's house in the Borgo were very happy
ones. It was a memorable and eventful time both
in the history of Rome and in that of the Papacy.
Never before had the Eternal City witnessed so great
a concourse of scholars and poets as in these early
days of Eeo X. The accession of a Medici Pope,
who, in his own words, ' had grown up in a library and
loved the tine arts from his cradle/ attracted men of
letters not only from Florence, but from all parts of
Italy/ The poets who sang the praises of the house
of Medici, and acclaimed Leo X. as a new Mecamas,
found themselves lavishly rewarded. Ariosto, it is
true, who had hastened to salute his old friend, was
sent away unsatisfied, and driven to conclude that
the Pope, having given up the use of his eyeglass,
had failed to recognize him. But ducats were freely
showered on smaller men, and crowds of poetasters
* Pastor, iv. 426.
364