74 Petrarch at the Banquet 



which I cannot interpret). Granson^"^ was distinguished by an 

 additional courser, and two more when he went to England — 

 four in all. Assheton^^- had two belts, one presented the day 

 of -the wedding, and one afterwards. Finally, Bromwych^"^ had 

 only a belt, and a fine courser when he went to England. 



There must have been tilting,^^* as was customary on these 

 splendid occasions, for the Chronicle of Montferrat records 

 that for furnishing 30 j ousters with everything requisite to make 

 a becoming appearance {de tutto quello cJie ricerca una degna 

 giostra) Galeazzo disbursed 72,430 florins.^"^ Aliprando declares 

 that every day — but does not say for how long — there were 

 jousts and tourneys, band pitted against band. As for the ladies, 

 they took pleasure in playing, singing, and dancing. He ends 

 with comprehensive praise of 



quella corte grande, 

 A' Visconti perpetual' onorare. 



VIII. PETRARCH AT THE BANQUET 



The chroniclers^ all record the presence at the first table, among 

 the civil and military magnates there assembled, of Petrarch,^ 



"^ Granson is subsequently mentioned in Rymer : May 8, 1369 ; July I, 

 July 8, Nov. 26, 1370 ; Oct. 29, 1372 ; Oct. 28, 1375 ; practically always as 

 being in the king's service, 



^"^Assheton (called Aston Feb. 11, 1366) was chancellor of Ireland from 

 Oct. 24, 1364 till some time in 1366; was one of three to pay a sum of 

 money to Lionel on Oct. 29, 1366, for the wages of his forces in Ireland 

 (cf. Hist. Background, p. 188, note i); had protection to accompany 

 Lionel abroad, March 13, 1368; with Thomas de Dale, who had been 

 associated with him in Ireland, had charge of arrangements for trans- 

 porting Lionel's company from Dover to Calais in the spring of 1368; 

 was admiral of the western fleet in 137 1 ; justiciary of Ireland, 1372-3; in 

 the train of John of Gaunt to go abroad, 1374 ; treasurer of England, 

 1376; chamberlain of England, 1377. 



^"^ For Bromwych, see pp. 97-8. 



"' See p. 60. 



'"'Say $815,000; cf. p. 29. 



' See also Magenta i. 131-2. 



" For the baseless story of Petrarch's Academy of thirty members at 

 Linterno, all of whom were invited to the wedding and regaled the 

 company with as many epithalamiums, see De Sade, pp. 722-3 ; Giulini 

 5. 516. Cf. F. Petrarca c la Lombardia, p. 109. 



