98 



EbTE. 



The period from the downfall of the Roman em- 

 pire to the establishment of the constitution of the 

 United States of America may be called, by way of 

 distinction, the time of privileges, hardly any part of 

 the political system being established, or administered 

 on general principles, or a well organized plan, but 

 almost everything being done by special privileges 

 and grants ; common rights arising from citizenship 

 beinu' hardly recognised, the individual enjoying only 

 certain privileges, as a member of a favoured class. 

 The privileges of these three estates, arising from 

 different causes, and acquired in different ways, 

 were, of course, very different. However, the right 

 to grant taxes was common to all, because taxes 

 were at first considered as a mere gift to the 

 1 rince, it being customary in all the Teutonic 

 estates, for the monarch to defray the expenses 

 of government, particularly of war, on account of 

 the large share of property which was everywhere 

 set aside for him, as has been shown in the article 

 Civil List. (See also Domain.) However, in many 

 countries, the estates were not called together ; in 

 others, their conduct rendered them very unpopular. 

 Both their own incapacity and the power of the go- 

 vernment rendered them, in most countries, either 

 useless or obnoxious ; and, in many countries, both 

 the people and the government were equally desir- 

 ous to abolish them, though for different reasons. 

 The time of the French revolution approached, and 

 views of general justice and legal equality became 

 popular throughout Europe. 



Every reader knows that the system of the estates 

 was abolished in France, and all the countries 

 where the French obtained an ascendency in the 

 new formation, or the reformation of governments. 

 Since the downfall of Napoleon, many governments 

 have re-established the estates, or endeavoured to 

 satisfy the spirit of the age, which calls for a secure 

 individual liberty, by a new organization of them. 

 This subject has been particularly treated in the 

 article Constitution. In Sweden, there is a fourth 

 estate that of the crown peasants. Circumstances 

 have changed so entirely, civilization has so nearly 

 equalized the different orders, the interests of men 

 have become so generalized, that the institution of 

 estates is now unsuited to the wants of the age : 

 they have had their time, and may now be viewed 

 as obsolete. They are directly contrary to the spirit 

 of our age, as is the whole feudal system, and can 

 only be considered as remnants of former times, 

 forms from which the spirit has long since departed. 

 They serve at present only to frustrate the most 

 just and reasonable demand of society individual 

 liberty, protected by equal laws and an equal repre- 

 sentation. 



KSTE ; one of the most ancient and illustrious 

 families of Italy. Muratori traces its origin to those 

 petty princes who governed Tuscany in the time of 

 the Carlovingians (tenth century). In later times, 

 they received from the emperors several districts 

 and counties, to be held as fiefs of the empire, viz. 

 Este, Rovigo, Montagnana, Casal Maggiore, Pontre- 

 moli, and Obertenga, with the title ot marquis. Of 

 this family was Guelfo IV., who, having received 

 the investiture of the duchy of Bavaria, founded the 

 house of Brunswick, which, from this circumstance, 

 was called the Estensian Guelf. During the twelfth, 

 thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries, the history of 

 the house of Este is connected with the vicissitudes 

 of the other ruling families and free states of Upper 

 Italy. In the contests between the Guelfs and 

 Ghibelines, the marquises of Este, as leaders of the 

 Guelf party, acquired the territories of Ferrara and 

 Modena, notwithstanding many reverses. 



This house was much distinguished for its patron- 



age of the arts and sciences. Nicolas II. (died 1388) 

 first made the court of Ferrara the seat of refinement 

 and taste. The reign of Nicolas III. (died 1441) 

 was still more brilliant. He opened, in 1402, the 

 university of Ferrara, founded by his father, Albert, 

 and which had been suppressed during his minority; 

 he also founded that of Parma. His liberality at- 

 tracted the most distinguished men of the age, 

 among whom wereGuarini of Verona, the ancestor 

 of the celebrated poet, and Giovanni Aurispa. He 

 transmitted his love of literature to his sons, Lionel 

 and Borso, who endeavoured to render Ferrara the 

 country of scholars and poets. The reign of Lionel 

 was distinguished neither by conquests nor other 

 great political occurrences ; but no prince of the 

 house of Este was more beloved by his contempor- 

 aries for his amiable disposition, the charms of his 

 wit, and the elegance of his manners. He encour- 

 aged industry and commerce, the arts and sciences 

 by every method, and was himself a model of elo- 

 quence in the Latin and Italian languages. He cor- 

 responded with the most distinguished men of Italy, 

 and contributed more than any prince of his time to 

 restore ancient literature to the splendour which 

 rendered the sixteenth century so illustrious. 



Under his brother and successor, Borso, (died 

 1471,) agriculture, commerce, and all the arts of 

 peace, were in a flourishing condition. Borso was 

 fond of pomp, but, as he neither maintained fortres- 

 ses nor armies, his expenditures did not exhaust his 

 finances. The emperor, Frederic III., enchanted 

 with his reception by Borso, on his passage through 

 Ferrara, conferred on him the title of duke of 

 Modena and Reggio. Borso also obtained from the 

 pope, Pius V., the duchy of Ferrara, which he held 

 as a fief of the church. 



His successor, Ercole I. (died 1505), suffered much 

 from the Venetians and their allies, who wished to 

 deprive the house of Este of its territories : but 

 Milan, Florence, and Naples took arms in his 

 defence, and a general war was the consequence. 

 After concluding a disadvantageous peace in 1484, 

 Ercole maintained a neutrality for twenty-one years, 

 although important revolutions took place in Italy. 

 During this period, his subjects enjoyed all the 

 blessings of peace, and his capital was distinguished 

 for elegance and refinement. Boiardo, count of 

 Scandiano, the celebrated author of Orlando Inna- 

 tnorato, was his friend and minister. Ariosto, yet 

 very young, already enjoyed the ducal favour, and 

 the court of Ferrara was adorned by the most cele- 

 brated geniuses of the period. 



His son, Alfonso I. (died 1534), succeeded him. 

 His second wife was the famous Lucretia Borgia, 

 whose brilliant talents and love of literature con- 

 tributed in some measure to obliterate the infamy of 

 her early years. Ariosto was in the service of 

 Alfonso's brother, the cardinal Ippolito, a patron by 

 no means worthy of such a poet. His sacred office 

 could not restrain him from violence and crime ; 

 and he caused the eyes of his brother Julius, his 

 rival in the affections of a lady, to be put out, 

 because she had praised their beauty. Alfonso 

 suffered this barbarous act, at which all Ferrara was 

 indignant, to go unpunished ; but the injured Julius 

 and his brother Ferdinand entered into a conspiracy 

 to dethrone him, for the purpose of rendering his 

 revenge on Ippolito more sure. The conspiracy was 

 detected, and the punishment of the two brothers 

 was commuted into perpetual imprisonment, at the 

 moment when the axe was suspended over their 

 heads. Alfonso also displayed great military talents. 

 He entered into the league of Cambray, in 1509. 

 The Venetians, under Angelo Trevisani, appeared 

 at the mouth of the, Po, and spread terror through 



