T A S 



T A S 



otti-r amatory verse* addressed to his ' donna.' There are 

 aUo some autograph lines of Tnwo discovered liy Mai 

 among the Falcnnieri MSS.. :nul published liv Hctli nl 

 Koine tiii'i-nii/i- An-tiili'-". October, ls-J7 , in winch Klco- 

 nora is mentioned by name: 



Quando tr4 che d'Elconort mU 

 POM* foiirrmi in Ubrttad. . 

 Ah. picloo il .!'" 

 A.lili-i crlra, alilio Uuu, ailiUn roMOr^.' 



It would appear that these verses, ha\ ing been abstracted 

 from Tasno's papers by some enemy, and shown to Duke 

 Alfonso, first roused lus Suspicions. 



Professor Rosini, in his able essay upon the ' Love of 

 Tasso and the Causes of his Imprisonment,' Pisa, IH;!2, 

 -. in opposition to the assertion of Serassi and others, 

 that F.leouora d'Este was the object of the above compo- 

 sitions, a.s well as of all the others addressed to his 'donna.' 

 It is the four compositions last alluded to that constitute 

 the real guilt of Tasso : they boast in prurient language of 

 favours received, which, according to the best circum- 

 stantial evidence, were never granted, and which, if even 

 ed. ought not to have been mentioned. And Tasso 

 himself must have felt this, for when he set out for France 

 ill the beginning of 1571. to accompany Cardinal I.uigi 

 d F.ste on a mission to Charles IX., lie left his MSS. in 

 charge of his friend Rondinelli, with directions to publish 

 them in case he should die abroad, ' except those which 

 he had written to oblige some friend, and which must be 

 buried with him.' 



This was a subterfuge to conceal the object of the above- 

 mentioned compositions, and to make them appear as if 

 written at the request of others, which in itself would have 

 been no very creditable employment for a man of genius. 

 vcr, before the end of the year 1571. Tasso took his 

 leave of the cardinal in France. It would appear that 

 while in that country, where he was introduced at the court 

 of king Charles ik., and became acquainted with the 

 French poet Ronsard, Tasso applied himself to study tin- 

 points of controversy then debated between the Roman 

 Catholic and the Reformed churches, and that his inves- 

 tigations of those delicate matters displeased the cardinal, 

 who .spoke to him strongly on the subject. But Tasso had 

 other and secret reasons for wishing to return to Italy. 

 Having returned to Ferrara, he entered the service of Duke 

 Alfonso himself, by whom he was most graciously treated. 

 ''llieduke extolled his poetical talent : he often listened to 

 the recital of his verses (Tasso was then engaged about his 

 Geiusali-mme,' which he intended to dedicate to the 

 duke) ; he admitted him to his own table, and to hi 

 familiar society ; and he refused him no favour that he 

 chose to ask.' (Seraasi, I'itn </</ '/'TV.W ; Kosini, S<iggio 

 *//// .li/iuri di Taxso.) Such was the conduct of Duke 

 Alfonso towards the poet, until he discovered, years after, 

 lus guilty compositions. AVhilst Tasso was thus a favoured 

 (fuest, rather than a dependant of Duke Alfonso, he wrote 

 his pastoral drama, the ' Aminta,' in which he ] 

 with exquiMte skill the Jiangs and the delirium of love 

 deemed hopeless for a long season, but in the end requited. 

 The drama was performed at the court of duke Alfonso, 

 and its fame soon spread about Italy. Lucrczia, F.leonora's 

 . who had married Francesco Maria, duke of Urbino, 

 wi-liing to hear the ' Aminta,' invited Tasso to her court 

 where be remained several months. This was j M |.~>7H. 

 \Vhile Tatuo was absent from Ferrara. envy was busy at 

 work against him to lower bis credit with Duke Alfonso. At 

 the same time Guarino, the poet, who was also at the 

 court of Ferrara, st rove to ingra'iate himself with the priu- 

 Kleonora, and this excited the jealousy of Taiwo. It 

 appears that Tasso had been in the habit of writing to the 

 princess, and sending her some of his poetical composi- 

 tions; hut now he wrote none forseveral months. At last 

 nte her a letter, dated September, 1 57U, which was 

 first published by his biographer Serassi, in which, attei 

 ig for Ins long silence, he sends her a sonnet, 

 ieh,' he says, ' is not lik thost tine ones which 

 pose your grace is now wont to hear very often, alluding 

 >->> of his rival Guarino. And he goes on to siv. that 

 iinel is poor both in the conception and the style, as 

 the author i poor of luck. This lust expression cm 

 understood as referring to his circumstances, for he 

 in favour with both the courts of Ferrara and t'rbn 

 was receiving at the tune presents from the duchess l.u- 

 mviaol Urbino. Hut still he sends to the princess Eleonoi a 



the aonnet, ' hoping that, whether pood or bad. i( will pro- 

 Inn- the etl'eet that In- '. which b. 

 Sdrgno. ilebil guerrier, campion aue : of a de- 

 sponding lover who asks for me: 

 letter with the usual subterfuge, that 'til. 

 written on his own account, but at the request of a pour 

 lover, who having been for a tirn. th Ins mistress, 

 is now no longer able to stand out, and surrcndr 

 and a>ks for mercy.' This and other passm.- mor- 



1 to by Professor Kosini in th. 



quoted essay, prove that the princes., Klconora had been 

 long aware of Tamo's passion, and felt flattered by it, but 

 probably looked upon it as a poetical feeling, for which 

 gave him her friendship. He himself acknowledges this in 

 several places: and vet this same man had already writ 

 in the recess of his study, the guilty compositions which 

 have been mentioned a 



Towards the end of l.~>7: Tasso returned to Ferrnro, 

 where he applied himself to finish his great epic poem 1 a 



ile.lime.' The touching episode of Ohmlo ar, 

 fronia, in the second canto, was meant to portiav his own 

 situation with regard to the princess Ele.onora ; and in a 

 sonnet which he wrote to that lady he evidenth 



i of Sofronia as meant to represent herself. 



Parts of the ' QwuMlenitne 1 began to circulate about in 

 MS., and the author was assailed by numerous pc' 

 critics. He thought that the (hike and his sister Klcoiinra 

 did not take up his defence with sufficient zeal : and this 

 slight sank deep into the poet's heart. Towards the end of 

 l.~>7i> a false friend, who was in the secret of his love for the 

 princess, disclosed some particulars of it to others. I 

 having heard of this, and meeting him in the court of the, 

 ducal palace, required him to deny what he had saii: 

 upon the other's refusal, gave him a blow in the face. This 

 led to a duel ; the treacherous friend came escorted by his 

 relatives, who also drew their swords against the poet, but 

 Tasso. who was a good swords;: (led in parrv ing 



their blows, and came away in triumph. Nothing : 

 cular happened after this until June of the folio 

 lf>77. when Tasso, on the evening of the 17th of June, 

 being in the apartments of the duchess of 1'rbino. in Duke 

 Alfonso's palace at Ferrara, fell into a violent passion at 

 some impertinence real or supposed of a domestic, and 

 himself so far ns to throw a knife after him. He was im- 

 mediately arrested by order of duke Alfonso, and cor 

 to n room which looked on the court of the palace. It np- 



'hat between these two incidents his or. 

 had been tampered with in order to give up his concealed 

 papers. Tasso got information of this, and looked out for 

 a trusty servant from Urbino, and wrote on the suhji 

 Gnido Haldo, marquis del Monte, and his letter is quoted 

 by his biographer Serassi. He had also felt for some time 

 scruples about matters of faith : he mentions in his dis- 

 course to Scipione Gonznga, that he had doubts concern- 

 ing many points of religion : he had even applied ! 

 inquisitor of Bologna, who had granted bun absolution; 

 but still he thought him>elf under the censures of the 

 church. All these things added to the anguish of his 

 mind. From the place of his imprisonment Tasso wrote a 

 submissive letter to the duke, begging his pardon, and the 

 duke appearing to forgive him. released him after a few 

 days, and took him with him to his country -seat of Bel 

 EUgUUdO about the end of June. \Vhat happened there 

 between the duke and Tasso is not ascertained, but from 

 Mime expressions of the poet it appears that he v\as there 

 closely and sternly examined by the duke, who hud pro- 

 bably by this time in his possession Tn.sso'spapei-s. in order 

 to get from him an acknowledgment of what, if avowed, 

 would incense him against him.' (Tasso's Sonnet. I 

 ning ' Alma grande d'Alcidc,' addressed to thi 

 duke Hercules, father of Alfonso.) On the llth of July 

 the duke sent Tasso hack to Ferrara under an e-eort. and 

 shut him up in the convent of St. Francis, his x'cretsm 

 having written to the monks that he was mad, and must 

 be treated as a madman. 



Tasso's line adventures, his real or pretended madness, 

 and the causes of his long impiisonrnent. made much 

 noise about Italy at the time: and they have been so 

 much discussed and commented upon since, that they 

 have ! importance, especially as they 



serve to illustrate the manners of the times. Duke 

 Alfonso has been much abused, and. we think, without 

 discrimination, for his trealment of the poet. There is a 



