Chapter I: Front Matter

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:

—Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected.

—Superscripts have been rendered as a^{b}.

LORENZO DE’ MEDICI

VOL. II.

LORENZO DE’ MEDICI

_THE MAGNIFICENT_

BY

ALFRED VON REUMONT

_TRANSLATED from THE GERMAN by ROBERT HARRISON_

IN TWO VOLUMES

VOL. II.

LONDON
SMITH, ELDER, & CO., 15 WATERLOO PLACE
1876

[_All rights reserved_]

CONTENTS

OF

THE SECOND VOLUME.

FOURTH BOOK—_continued_.

SECOND PART.

TIME OF LORENZO THE MAGNIFICENT.

CHAPTER VI.

LORENZO DE’ MEDICI AS A POET. PAGE

Lorenzo’s Letter to Don Federigo of Aragon accompanying a
Collection of Old Italian Poems—Opinions on Italian Poetry—The
Poets of the Thirteenth Century—Dante and Successors—The Italian
Vulgar Tongue—Lorenzo’s Position in Literature—Influence of
Antiquity and the Dantesque Period—The Feeling for Nature in
Lorenzo’s Poetry—The Love Poems—Lucrezia Donati—The Nature
of Love—Lorenzo’s Sonnets—Idylls—‘Corinto’—‘La Nencia da
Barberino’—‘Ambra’—‘The Hawking Party’ and ‘I Beoni’—Prevalence
of the Burlesque—Dance and Carnaval Songs—Carnaval
Companies—Mystery-Play of St. John and St. Paul—Spiritual Songs 3

CHAPTER VII.

MARSILIO FICINO AND CRISTOFORO LANDINO.

Platonism—Ficino’s Influence on Religion and Philosophy—The
Connection of Platonism with Christianity—Speculation and
Reality—Marsilio Ficino and Dante—Ficino’s Works—Book
on Christian Learning—Translation of Plato—‘Theologia
Platonica’—Translation of Plotinus and Dionysius the
Areopagite—Ficino’s Letters on Personal Relations—His Connection
with Learned Foreigners—His Manner of life—His Advice to Lorenzo
de’ Medici and to Cardinal Raffael Riario—His Picture of a Right
Way of Living—Lorenzo’s Connection with Ficino—Cristoforo
Landino’s Position and Labours—The Camaldulensian
Discussions—Leon Battista Alberti with the Medici Brothers and
their Friends in the Abbey of Camaldoli—Various Phases of the
Study of Dante—Dante and the Fifteenth Century Biographies of
Dante—First Edition of the ‘Divine Comedy’—Landino’s Edition,
with a Commentary—Study of Dante in Landino’s Time 20

CHAPTER VIII.

LUIGI PULCI AND ANGELO POLIZIANO.

Matteo Palmieri and ‘The City of Life’—Burchiello and the
Burlesque—The Romantic Epos—Bernardo and Luca Pulci—The
‘Ciriffo Calvaneo’ and the ‘Giostri’—Luigi Pulci and the
‘Morgante Maggiore’—The Epopee and the Courts of Medici and
Este—Luigi Pulci’s Connection with Lorenzo de’ Medici—Angelo
Poliziano’s Family and Youth—His Homeric Studies—Translation
of the Iliad—Dedication to Lorenzo—Opinion of Cardinal
Ammannati—Interruptions in the Work—The Dramatic Piece
‘Orfeo’—Tournament of Giuliano de’ Medici—The Stanzas—Small
Latin Poems—Poliziano as a Latin Poet—The ‘Sylvæ’—Description
of Lorenzo as a Poet—Description of Fiesole—Dedication of the
‘Sylvæ’—Son of Lorenzo, Pier Francesco de’ Medici, Lorenzo
Tornabuoni, Antonio Pallavicino Gentile—Witches in an Academical
Lecture—Poliziano as a Popular Song Writer—Rispetti—Poliziano as
Translator and Letter Writer 41

CHAPTER IX.

POLIZIANO IN THE HOME OF THE MEDICI. SCALA AND RUCELLAI.

Poliziano as a Poet and Tutor of the Medici—Poliziano and
Madonna Clarice—Winter Residence in Caffagiuolo—Ode to Gentile
Becchi—Poliziano’s Letter to Madonna Lucrezia—Dissension between
Madonna Clarice and Poliziano—Poliziano in Fiesole—Poliziano and
others as Teachers of Piero de’ Medici—Giorgio Benigno—Giovanni
Prato—Antonio Barberini—Piero de’ Medici in his Youth—Bartolommeo
Scala—Benedetto Accolti—Scala and Lorenzo de’ Medici—Quarrel of
Poliziano and Scala—Alessandra Scala—Poliziano’s Quarrel with
Marullus—Alamanno Rinuccini—Bernardo Rucellai and the Platonic
Academy 63

CHAPTER X.

ERMOLAO BARBARO AND PICO DELLA MIRANDOLA.

Bernardo Bembo—Ermolao Barbaro—Barbaro’s Visit to Florence
and to Lorenzo de’ Medici at the Baths—Lorenzo’s Exertions in
favour of Barbaro—Giovanni Pico de’ Mirandola—Pico in Florence
and in the Medici Circle—The Cabbala—Pico’s Amorous Adventure
at Arezzo—Disputation at Rome and Opposition—Denunciation and
Apology—Lorenzo’s Interposition on behalf of Pico—Pico’s Country
Life and Studies—Lorenzo’s Defence of Pico against his Romish
Adversaries—Final Issue of the Difference—Pico’s Poetical and
Philosophical Works—Pico a Type of the Age—Stefano Porcaro and
Pandolfo Collenuccio 79