The Admirable Crichton. 125 



stated — as tutor to the Duke's son, Prince Vincenzo Gouzaga. 

 In an exceedingly able contribution to the pages of the " Archivio 

 Storico Italiano," Giovanni Battista Intra states that when 

 Crichton arrived in Mantua his youth, his beauty, and his wit 

 created a profound impression. Crichton was first invited to 

 draft a scheme of fortifications ; he presented his scheme, and it 

 gave extreme satisfaction to the Duke, who became not only 

 Crichton's patron but his friend. But Crichton's popularity at 

 the Court of Mantua aroused, it seems, a feeling of the bitterest 

 jealousy in the mind of Prince Vincenzo, who, by the way, was 

 in the habit of associating himself with young men of low repute. 

 On the evening of the 3rd of July, 1582, which had been a very 

 hot day, Crichton left the ducal palace, accompanied by a 

 servant, for the purpose of enjoying a little fresh air. Whilst 

 turning out of the Piazza Purgo towards the Via San Silvestro he 

 met the Prince, along with a dissolute youth named Ippolito 

 Lanzone. It being night and all three wrapped in their cloaks, 

 they were said not to have recognised each other. The Prince, 

 unwilling to make way for Crichton, gave him a hard blow 

 which sent him to the ground. Crichton, who was not accus- 

 tomed to tolerate such effrontery, drew his dagger, and, en- 

 countering Lanzone, inflicted a serious wound. Vincenzo, hear- 

 ing blows being struck, took part in the struggle in defence of 

 his friend, and, sheltered by his buckler, attacked Crichton and 

 wounded him mortally. In a few hours both Crichton and 

 Lanzone were dead, and there was no one left to tell the truth 

 about the incident, except the Prince. 



We must, of course, accept history as we find it, although 

 we might not be prepared to give child -like credence to every 

 partisan statement. It is not certain that the killing of Crichton 

 by the Prince of Mantua can be regarded in the light of murder: 

 we have only Vincenzo 's word for what happened. Furthermore, 

 if we are to place any reliance on some of the letters which the 

 great Italian poet, Torquato Tasso, wrote, in which he referred 

 in encomiastic terms to Vincenzo, the committing of a dastardly 

 murder would have been far from the Prince's intentions or 

 thoughts. 



