42

NAPLES AND ITS ENVIRONS.

of the forces, to Barcelona, where he spent years in con-
tention and warfare with John of Aragon. However, Ren^,
by one means and another, had made alliances and brought
his plans to such a point, that, by increasing his army, in
1469 there seemed to be a prospect of success for the
much tried Duke of Calabria, when suddenly, in December,
1470, he died at Barcelona. Poison was suspected, and
the examination of his body justified this theory of the
cause of his death; but the author of the crime was never
discovered.
After this terrible affliction, the ever persistent Reffli,
still claiming the titles of King of Aragon and Sicily,
retired to Provence, where he lived nine years more, among
those who loved him and called him the “ good King
Rene,” until, in July, 1480, “ the illustrious King Ren£,
this Prince of Peace and Mercy, rendered his soul to God
amid the tears and sobs of all his people, and above all
of those of his capital.” Fortunately, the passion of Rene
for music, painting, and poetry served to make him for-
getful of his defeats and misfortunes, which would have
driven another sort of man to madness.
The church of S. Lorenzo at Naples, built in 1266 by
the first prince of the House of Anjou who reigned there,
is rich in a variety of historical associations. The nave
was almost entirely rebuilt three centuries after its foun-
dation, but the portal and choir still preserve the Gothic
architecture of the Angevine dynasty. Behind the high
altar are the funeral monuments of the House of Durazzo,
the second branch of the House of Anjou. They are
elaborate in design and execution, and are attributed to
Masuccio II.; but no reliable proof that they were his
work now exists.
In the pavement, near the entrance, may be read the
name of Giambattista della Porta, 1550-1616, famed as
the discoverer of the camera obscura, and the originator of