made public orations, and compofed fome pieces of poetry, which had nothing childish either in the thought or expreffion. The prince of Salerno fucceeded, but the viceroy of Naples, by whom the project of establishing the inquifition in that city had been formed, conceived fo bitter a refentment against him, as the inftrument of fetting it afide, that he found means to incenfe the emperor against him, and the prince thinking it proper to retire to Rome, Bernard Taffo went thither also, taking with him Torquato his fon. The prince, with all his adherents, was, foon after their departure, declared rebels to the ftate, and in this declaration, Torquato, though no more than nine years old, was included. At twelve years of age he went from Rome to Mantua, where his father had entered into the service of the duke Guglielmo Gonzaga: he had then compleated his knowledge of the Latin and Greek languages; he was well acquainted with rhetoric and poetry, and a mafter of Aristotle's ethics; he had alfo ftudied the precepts of Mauritio Cataneo with particular attention, and ever after reverenced him as a fecond father. He was soon after fent to the univerfity of Padua, and in his 18th year published his Rinaldo, a poem written upon the plan of Homer's Odyffey. This extended his reputation throughout all Italy, but greatly difpleafed his father, who forefaw that it would feduce him from ftudies of more advantage: he went to Padua to remonftrate against his apparent purpose of giving himself up to philofophy and poetry, and made use of many very harsh expreffions, which Taffo heard with a patience and tranquillity that made the old gentleman ftill more angry: "Of what use, "fays he, is that philofophy on "which you value yourself fo "much?" It has enabled me, replied Taffo, to endure the bar fonefs of your reproofs. He foon after went to Bologna, by the invitation of the city and college, but in a little time returned to Padua at the preffing inftances of Scipio Gonzaga, who had been elected prince of the academy that had been established in that city by the name of the Ætherei. He was incorporated into this fociety, and took upon himself the name of Pentito. He was now in his 20th year, and applying himself wholly to poetry and philofophy, he foon became a perfect master of both; his philofophy prevented his poetry from becoming licentious, and his poetry kept his philofophy from growing auftere. In this retreat he formed the defign of his Jerufalem Delivered, invented the fable, difpofed the parts, and determined to dedicate it to the house of Efte, but whether to Alphonfo the IId, the last duke of Ferrara, or to his brother, the cardinal Luigi, to whom he had already dedicated his Rinaldo, he was yet in doubt. Being preffed by both the brothers to refide with them at Ferrara, he confented. The duke gave him an apartment in his palace, where he lived in peace, and affluence, and profecuted his work, which he now determined to dedicate to the duke, and which was published by his patrons book by book as he finifl.ed them. them. The duke being defirous in proportion as his reputation increafed, of fixing him near him, had thoughts of marrying him advantageously, but he declined all proposals of that kind. When he was about 27, he made ajourney into France with the cardinal the duke's brother, who went thither in quality of legate; here he received very diftinguishing favours from Charles the IXth, the wretch who afterwards perpetrated the horrid maffacre called St. Bartholomew's Day, which will render his name infamous and deteftable to the latest generation. From France he returned to Fer rara, with the cardinal, the next year, and published a paftoral comedy called Aminta; this was recived with univerfal applaufe, as a masterpiece in its kind, and is the original of the Paftor Fido, and Filli di Sciro. In the 30th year of his age he finished his ferufalem, and the whole was reprinted and published together: the fuccefs of it was aftonishing; it was tranflated into Latin, French, Spanish, and even the oriental languages, almost as foon as it appeared. But it was Taffo's fate to become wretched from the moment that he gained the fummit of reputation: very foon after his Jerufalem was published he loft his father, who died at Oftia upon the Po, the government of which place had been given him by the duke of Mantua: his Jerufalem was attacked by a swarm of ignorant, but petulant critics, who gave the preference to the rhapfodies of Pulci and Boyardo; and the perfidy of a friend drew upon upon him much greater misfortunes. This friend was a gentleman of Ferrara, to whom Taffo had indifcreetly communicated fome tranfactions of a very delicate nature, concerning his patron the duke, with whom he lived. This fecret being betrayed, Taffo reproached his friend for his treachery, and this reproach was retorted in fuch a manner as provoked Taffo to ftrike him; a challenge immediately enfued, and the opponents met and engaged; but during the rencounter, three brothers of Taffo's antagonist came up, and all fell upon him together: Taffo defended himself fo well, that he wounded two of them, and kept his ground against the others till fome people came up and parted them. This made a great noise at Ferrara, where nothing was talked of but the valour of Taffo, and it became a kind of proverb*, "That "Taffo, with his pen and his fword, was fuperior to all men.” The duke being informed of the quarrel, banished the brothers from his dominions, and confifcated their eftates, provoked, perhaps, not lefs by the fubject of the quarrel, than by the unmanly attack of Taffo; but as the fubject of the quarrel drew his refentment alfo upon Taffo himself, he fhut him up in prifon, under pretence of fecuring him from any future attacks of his enemies. Taffo found means to escape from this confinement, after having fuffered it about a year; and being now about 34 years of age, C 2 Con la penna e con la spada Nefun val quanto Torquato. retired retired to Turin, where he was foon known and recommended to the duke of Savoy, who fhewed him many marks of esteem and affection; but Taffo fearing that the duke of Ferrara would require him to be delivered up, and that then the duke of Savoy would chufe rather to comply, than forfeit the friendship of that prince, precipitately fet out for Rome alone, and without proper neceffaries for fuch a journey. He got fafe, however, to Rome, where he went directly to his friend Mauritio Cataneo, who received him with great kindness, and the whole city feemed to rejoice at the prefence of fo extraordinary a perfon. He was vifited by princes, cardinals, prelates, and all the learned in general: but being impatient of exile, and longing to return to his native country, and to fee his fifter Cornelia, who lived at Sarento, he left his friend Cataneo one evening, without giving him any notice, and fetting out on foot, arrived the fame night at the mountains of Veletri, where he took up his lodgings with fome fhepherds; in the morning having procured the dress of one of thefe peafants, as a difguife, he continued his journey, and in four days reached Gaeta, where he embarked for Sarento, and arrived fafely at that city the next day he went directly to his fifter's house, who was a widow; fhe had two fons, who were both abfent, fo that when he arrived fhe had nobody with her but fome female attendants: he pretended to have a meffage from her brother, and being admitted, he gave her a letter which he had prepared for that purpofe: this letter informed her that his life was in great danger, and intreated her to use all her intere to procure the interpofition of fome powerful perfon in his favour, referring to the meffenger for farther particulars. The lady immediately applied to him for thefe particulars, with all the earnestness and folicitude of a fincere and tender affection, and he gave her fo touching an account of his fuppofed misfortunes, that, unable to fuftain her affliction, she fainted. Taffo was fenfibly touched at this indubitable proof of her affection, and repented that he had gone fo far; he then began to comfort her, and removing her fears by little and little, at last difcovered himfelf. When he had fomewhat recovered from her furprife, he told her, that he defired nothing more than to remain with her unknown to the world: the replied, that she defired nothing more than to acquiefce in his pleafure; and fending for her children, and fome of her nearest relations, it was foon agreed that he should pass for a diftant relation who came from Bergamo to Naples upon private bufinefs, and froin Naples had procecded to Sarento to pay them a vifit. It appears, however, that, whatever Taflo pretended to his fifter, he intended nothing less than to live in obfcurity, for he immediately took meafures to make his peace with the duke, and for that purpose wrote feverally to him, to the duchefs of Ferrara his wife, and to the duchefs of Urbino, and the princefs Leonora of Efte, his fifters, who lived with him. He fays himfelf, in a letter to the duke of Urbino, who had been feparated from his wife, that he received received no answer to any of these letters, except from the princefs Leonora, who affured him it was not in her power to do him any fervice; yet he very foon fet out for Ferrara; and the writer of his life makes no fcruple of affirming, that he did fo at the request and by the advice of this lady. The duke received him with great appearance of fatisfaction, and gave him fresh marks of his efteem: but would not reftore fuch of his writings as were in his poffeffion, which was the principal thing Taffo defired, exhorting him only to lead a quiet and eafy life, without attempting either to write new poems, or to correct those already written. Of this Taffo complains in another letter to the duke of Urbino. "He, (Alphonfo, duke of Ferrara) fays Taffo, endeavours to make me a fhameful deferter of Parnaffus for the gardens of Epicurus; for fcenes of pleasure unknown to Virgil, Catullus, Horace, and Lucretius himfelf." ; But, whatever pleafures Taffo renounced, which Alphonfo folicited him to enjoy, it is certain that he afpired to fome which Alphonfo would not permit he appears to have made fome attempts on the princefs Leonora, whom he has celebrated in feveral of his verfes the duke therefore denied him accefs to her, and to the other princeffes: but whatever were the duke's fufpicions, he did not yet deny Taffo his protection. It is probable, however, that Taffo,, after the prohibition to vifit the princeffes, gave him fome farther provocation on their account; for the next thing we hear of him is, that he fled from Ferrara a second time, leaving all his books and MSS behind him, under the utmoft apprehenfion of the duke's refentment. He firft fought an afylum under the prince Guglielmo Gonzaga, at Mantua, but he found him decrepid with age, and very little difpofed to afford him protection. Vincentio Gonzaga, his fon, was better inclined to him; but he was too young: Taffo therefore fled fuc ceffively to Padua and to Venice; but being in continual dread of being delivered up to the duke of Ferrara, he applied to the duke of Urbino, his brother-in-law, to employ his good offices, and once more bring about a reconciliation. The duke of Urbino fhewed him great kindnefs, and probably having made fome overtures which produced encouraging circumftances, though without perfect fuccefs, advifed Taffo to throw himfelf on the duke's clemency, and return again to Ferrara. Taffo, who was now about 35 years old, took this advice; but the duke believing, or pretending to believe, that his ill conduct proceeded from a difordered underftanding, caused him to be strictly confined in the hofpital of St. Anne. Taffo applied to the duke, by every friend he had, to release him from this confinement; but the duke coldly answered, that, inftead of endeavouring to procure the enlargement of a perfon in his condition, they ought rather to exhort him to fubmit patiently to fuch remedies as were judged proper for him. Taffo was certainly difordered in his mind, whether as the effect or cause of this confinement; he was confcious that he laboured under fome diftemper, and he believed the cause of it to be fupernatural, and fan C 3 cied cied himself haunted by a fpirit, that continually difordered his books and papers; to which, however, the tricks played him by his keepers might contribute. He continued, notwithstanding, to folicit the interpofition of all the powers in Italy, to whom he could find means to apply, particularly the emperor and the pope, but with out fuccefs. But it happened, that after he had been a prifoner feven years, his young friend Vincentio Gonzaga, who was then prince of Mantua, his father Guglielmo being dead, came to Ferrara, among other great perfonages, during the feftivals and rejoicings that were held there on the marriage of Cafar of Efte with Virginia of Medicis. Vincentio greatly diftinguished himself on this occafion in the feats of chivalry, that were ufual in thofe days; and taking advantage of the influence and honour which he had thus acquired, he urged Alphonfo fo earnestly to fet Taffo at liberty, that he at last confented, and Vincentio took him with him to Mantua, he being then in the 42d year of his age. At Mantua he lived about a year in great favour with the prince, and in all the fplendor and affluence which the favour of great princes confers but he was weary of a ftate of dependence, however fplendid and luxurious, and therefore refolved to go to Naples, and endeavour to recover his mother's jointure, which had been feized by her relations, when he went into exile with his father Bernardo: With this view he procured letters of recommendation to the viceroy, and having taken leave of the prince of Mantua, he went first to Bergamo, where he ftayed fome time, and from thence proceeded to Naples. At Naples he immediately com, menced a fuit at law for the recovery of his right, and divided his time between a prosecution of that and his ftudies. Here he was folicited by the young count of Paleno to accept an apartment in his palace. Taffo confented, but finding it not agreeable to the count's fa ther, the prince of Conca, on account of Taffo's former attachment to the family of Salerno, between whom and Conca there had been an hereditary enmity, Taffo withdrew not only from the palace but from Naples, and retired to Bifaccio, with one Giovanni Batista Manfo, with whom he had contracted an intimate friendship. At Bifaccio he lived in great tranquillity with his friend Manfo, till the approach of the winter, and then they returned again to Naples, where the iffue of the lawfuit was ftill in fufpence. Taffo, who was now in his 45th year, appeared to Manfo, while they were at Bifaccio, to be affected with a melancholy, which had very fingular effects: he therefore very frequently queftioned him about them, and Taffo told him that he had a familiar fpirit, with whom he frequently and freely converfed: Manfo treated this as an illufion, but Taffo ftill affirmed it to be real; and telling him that the fpirit would meet and converfe with him the next day, invited him to be prefent. Manfo coming at the hour appointed, faw Taffo fix his eyes with great earneftness upon window, and perceiving him to continue without motion, he called him feveral times by his name; Taflo made no reply, but at length a |