TASSO 



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Venice. Here lie published a collection of his 

 poems, which gave him a place among the first of 

 living poets. Ferrante Sanseverino, prince of 

 Salerno, engaged him in his service, in 1531, as 

 secretary, on honourable and advantngeous terms. 

 When the prince followed Charles V. to Tunis, in 

 a galley equipped at his own cost, Tasso accom- 

 panied him, and, after his return, was sent on pub- 

 lic business to Spain. In 1539, he married the rich 

 and beautiful Porzia de" Rossi, and retired, with 

 .the consent of the prince, to Sorrento, where he 

 lived till 1547. But the misfortunes of his master, 

 whose estates had been seized by Charles V., on 

 account of his opposition to the introduction of the 

 inquisition into Naples, involved Tasso in the 

 greatest embarrassments. He was compelled to 

 seek another place of refuge, and was finally invited 

 by the duke of Urbino to take up his residence at 

 Pesaro. The leisure which he now enjoyed was 

 employed in finishing his Armida, which he pub- 

 lished at Venice in 1560. In 1563, the duke of 

 Mantua engaged him in his service, and appointed 

 him governor of Ostiglia, where he died in 1596. 

 His remains were interred at Mantua under a hand- 

 some monument erected by the duke, with the in- 

 scription Ossa Bernardi Tassi ; but his son Tor- 

 quato afterwards removed them to Ferrara. His 

 chief work, Armida, a romantic epic, displays much 

 talent and art ; in the expression of the tender 

 passions, in his descriptions of nature, in vivid de- 

 lineations of adventures and battles, all the orna- 

 ments of poetry are happily introduced. His lyrical 

 and other poems, in five books, are among the most 

 charming productions of the Italian muse. We 

 have also a Discourse on Poetry, and three books 

 of Letters, from his pen. 



TASSO, TORQUATO This poet, celebrated for 

 his immortal works, as well as his unhappy fate, 

 the son of the above-mentioned Bernardo Tasso, 

 was born in the year 1544, at Sorrento. His talents 

 early and rapidly developed themselves. While 

 yet a little child, he was always grave and sedate. 

 From his seventh to his tenth year, he attended 

 the schools of the Jesuits in Naples, and learned 

 the Latin and Greek languages thoroughly. He 

 then accompanied his father to Rome, where, under 

 his superintendence, he continued his studies with 

 equal success for two years. He then went to 

 Bergamo, and, six months after, to Pesaro, where 

 his father had met with a favourable reception from 

 the duke of Urbino. Here he shared the instruc- 

 tion of the duke's son. His favourite studies were 

 philosophy and poetry ; but he also devoted himself 

 to mathematics and chivalrous exercises. When 

 his father resided at Venice, he remained there 

 with him for a year, and then went, at the age of 

 thirteen years, to Padua, with the intention of 

 studying law. But his genius drew him irresistibly 

 to poetry, and, at the age of seventeen years, he 

 came out with an epic poem, in twelve cantos 

 (Rinaldo), which he dedicated to the cardinal 

 Ludovico of Este. Italy received this work with 

 universal applause; and his father consented, after 

 a long opposition, that he should relinquish the 

 study of the law. Torquato now devoted himself 

 with redoubled zeal to literary and philosophical 

 studies, and, with this view, accepted an invitation 

 to Bologna. Here he commenced the execution of 

 a plan of an epic poem, which he had already formed 

 in Padua the conquest of Jerusalem under the 

 command of Godfrey of Bouillon. But, in the 

 midst of these occupations!, he was unexpectedly 



disturbed. He was falsely accused as the author 

 of a satirical poem in circulation, and was subjected 

 to a judicial examination. This induced him to 

 leave Bologna. He went to Modena, and then ac- 

 cepted the invitation of the friend of his youth, the 

 young Scipio Gonzaga, who had founded an academy 

 in Padua, and wished to see Tasso at the head of 

 it. He studied with great assiduity the philosophy 

 of Aristotle, but still more that of Plato, towards 

 whom he felt himself drawn by the cords of sym- 

 pathy. Meanwhile, he did not lose sight of his 

 epic poem. How intently the theory of this species 

 of poem occupied him may be seen by the three 

 dialogues which he then composed on the subject. 

 The cardinal Ludovico of Este appointed him a 

 gentleman of his court, and wished that he should 

 be present in Ferrara at the nuptials of his brother 

 Alphonso with an archduchess of Austria. Tasso 

 went, in October, 1565, and attended the splendid 

 fetes with which those nuptials were celebrated. 

 The sisters of the duke, Lucretia and Leonora, 

 both indeed no longer young, but beautiful and 

 lovely, gave the poet their friendship ; in particular 

 the latter, who presented him to Alphonso. Thia 

 prince, who knew that Tasso wished to celebrate 

 the conquest of Jerusalem in an epic poem, received 

 him in a most flattering manner, and warmly en- 

 couraged his undertaking, so that the poet returned 

 to his labour, which had been interrupted during 

 two years, and determined to dedicate his work to 

 the duke Alphonso, and to raise in it a monument 

 to the fame of the ducal house, from which he then 

 enjoyed such distinguished favour. For a short 

 time only he left Ferrara to visit Padua, Milan, 

 Pavia, and Mantua, where he saw his father. He 

 returned with increased celebrity. The heart of 

 Tasso was much affected by the unexpected death 

 of his father ; but neither this misfortune, nor other 

 distractions, prevented him from labouring every 

 day on his poem, of which he had finished eight 

 cantos, when he travelled in the suite of the cardi- 

 nal of Este to France, in 1571. Here he was re- 

 ceived with distinction by Charles IX., as well as 

 by the whole court. The poet Ronsard was his 

 friend : and they communicated to each other their 

 poetical labours. In the mean time, Tasso may 

 have expressed himself too freely and unguardedly 

 concerning some subjects which then occupied the 

 minds of all : he lost the favour of the cardinal, 

 and, in consequence, appears to have been involved 

 in some embarrassments, and finally departed for 

 Italy. He returned to Rome, and soon entered, 

 according to his wishes, into the service of the duke 

 Alphonso, by the mediation of the princess of 

 Urbino, Lucretia of Este, and the princess Leonora. 

 The conditions were favourable and Honourable, 

 and left him in possession of entire freedom. But 

 hardly had he applied himself again to the work, 

 which the world expected with impatience, when 

 the death of the duchess again interrupted his la- 

 bours. Alphonso soon after made a journey to 

 Rome, and Tasso took advantage of the leisure 

 thus afforded him to compose his Aminta, the plan 

 of which had been for a long time in his mind. The 

 representation of an idyl in dialogue, written by 

 Agostino degl' Argenti, at which he hud been pre- 

 sent six years before, in Ferrara, had delighted 

 him, and suggested to him the idea of a similar work, 

 which he now completed in two months, and which 

 far surpassed all that Italy then possessed of this 

 kind. From this dramatic performance the opera 

 may be considered to have taken its rise. The 

 2 L 



