TASSO. 



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house must have been revolting to him ; and not less 

 painfully must he have felt the severity with which 

 he was treated ; the indifference with which all his 

 intreaties and representations were received by the 

 duke and the princess. And yet amidst his despond- 

 ency this rare genius enjoyed calm and lucid moments, 

 in which he poured forth the most glorious poe- 

 tical and philosophical effusions. A new affliction to 

 him was the information that his poem had appeared 

 in print at Venice in a very mutilated condition. 

 This first edition was quickly followed in different 

 places by others, of which every successive one sur- 

 passed the preceding in correctness and complete- 

 ness. Thus, in six months, six editions of the 

 Jerusalem Delivered were printed. The printers and 

 publishers enriched themselves, while the unhappy 

 poet languished in close imprisonment, sick, and 

 forgotten. It was not until two years after that 

 he was allowed by the duke, in consequence of his 

 repeated intreaties, several apartments, instead of 

 his prison-like abode. Here he enjoyed greater 

 freedom, received visits from friends and strangers, 

 and was permitted, from time to time, accompanied 

 only by one person to walk out, and to visit some 

 society or place of amusement. The duke even 

 once sent for Tasso, at a time when some French 

 and Italian noblemen were with him ; he received 

 him with kindness, and promised him a speedy 

 release. Notwithstanding this he saw himself, even 

 before the end of the year, deprived of his late ac- 

 commodations. Amidst these melancholy circum- 

 stances, a new storm burst over him. Among other 

 writings to which the Jerusalem Delivered had given 

 rise, was a dialogue by Camillo Pellegrino on epic 

 poetry (// Carrafa,ovvero della Poesia epica, 1584), 

 in which Tasso was placed far above Ariosto. This 

 gave occasion to violent contentions. The numer- 

 ous adherents of the Divino, and among these the 

 two academicians of Crusca, Lionardo Salviati and 

 Sebastiano de' Rossi stepped forth in opposition, in 

 the name of the academy, and assailed the Jerusa- 

 lem Delivered, and its author, in order to defend 

 the Orlando, or at least under this pretext. With 

 dignity and moderation, Tasso replied to the 

 charges of his opponents, which in his situation, 

 embittered by mental and bodily pains, must cer- 

 tainly be considered as a double merit. At the 

 same time, he was occupied about the means of 

 obtaining his liberty. He had called upon the most 

 powerful persons to be his intercessors. Gregory 

 XIII., the cardinal Albano, the grand-duke of Tus- 

 cany, the duke and duchess of Urbino, the duchess 

 of Mantua, several princes of the house of Gonzaga, 

 had in vain employed their good offices for him. 

 The city of Bergamo, Tasso's native place, had, 

 for the same purpose, sent a special ambassador to 

 the duke. The latter made promises which he 

 never fulfilled. Tasso's condition continually be- 

 came worse ; he was broken down in body and 

 mind, and suffered periodically from actual mad- 

 ness. At length the hard-hearted Alpbonso was 

 softened, and, at the most urgent entreaties, yielded 

 up the person of the poet, after an imprisonment of 

 more than seven years, to his brother-in-law, Vin- 

 cenzo Gonzaga, prince of Mantua, who promised to 

 keep such a watch over him, that Alphonso should 

 have nothing to fear from him (July, 1586). In 

 Mantua, Tasso met with the most friendly and ho- 

 nourable reception ; but his malady had taken too 

 deep root to leave him entirely. He, nevertheless, 

 resumed his literary labours : he completed, among 

 other things, Floridante, which had been com- 



menced by his father, and published it with a dedica- 

 tion to the duke of Mantua and Bologna. He also 

 recomposed his tragedy Torrismondo. In the next 

 year, he enjoyed the happiness of visiting Bergamo, 

 where his appearance was celebrated by the whole 

 city. The death of the duke of Mantua recalled 

 him to that city. His son and successor manifested 

 towards the poet the same kindness, but not the 

 same friendship and confidence. Tasso began to 

 be discontented with his residence in Mantua. He 

 received an honourable invitation to be professor in 

 the academy at Genoa, but was prevented by his 

 sickness from accepting it. He then formed the 

 resolution of going to Rome. Here he was so well 

 received, not only by Scipio Gonzaga, but also by 

 several cardinals, that he again entertained new 

 hopes ; but nothing was effected, and he repaired, 

 in 1588, to Naples, for the purpose of recovering 

 the confiscated fortune of his parents. Here he 

 occupied himself with the recomposition of his Jer- 

 usalem Delivered, in order to purge it from the 

 faults which he perceived in it, as well as from the 

 praises bestowed in it upon the house of Este. 

 From Naples he returned to Rome ; and, finding 

 there also occasion for discontent, he accepted the 

 invitation of the grand-duke of Florence. He had 

 reason to be satisfied in every respect with his 

 reception, both from the grand-duke and from the 

 people, but soon sighed again for Naples, and with 

 every mark of esteem, and with rich presents, de- 

 parted in the autumn for Rome, where he arrived 

 sick. Before he had recovered his health, he re- 

 paired, in consequence of urgent entreaties, to Man- 

 tua, to visit the duke Vincenzo Gonzaga ; and it 

 would have been well for him to have remained 

 here, if his continually declining health had not 

 made him desirous to go to Naples. At the invi- 

 tation of his friends, he went thither in Jan. 1592, 

 and took up his abode with his patron, the prince 

 Conca. The completion of Jerusalem Conquered 

 (the recomposition of Jerusalem Delivered) was his 

 first employment, and was almost concluded, when 

 he became suspicious that the prince wished to take 

 possession of his manuscripts. He communicated 

 this apprehension to his friend Manso, who, with 

 the consent of the duke, and without any violation 

 of gratitude or friendship, received him into his 

 house, which was most charmingly situated on the 

 sea-coast. This had a very favourable influence 

 upon Tasso, who gave the last finish to his Jerusa- 

 lem Conquered, and immediately commenced, at 

 the desire of the mother of the marquis, his poem 

 Of the Seven Days of the Creation. In the mean 

 time, Hippolitus Aldobrandini had ascended the pa- 

 pal chair as Clement VIII. Tasso had congratulated 

 his former patron upon this event, as he had before 

 done Urban VII., in an excellent canzone, and was 

 at last obliged to comply with the repeated invita- 

 tion of the pope to come to Rome. The pope, as 

 well as both his nephews, in particular the cardinal 

 Cintio Aldobrandini, paid him the most delicate 

 and friendly attentions. Tasso, from gratitude, de- 

 dicated to the latter his Jerusalem Conquered ; and 

 the return of his malady alone induced him to leave 

 Rome, and again to return to Naples. Here he 

 passed four months very happily in the circle of his 

 friends. Meanwhile Cintio, in order to draw him 

 back to Rome, had procured for him from the pope 

 the honour of a solemn coronation in the capitol. 

 At this news, Tasso set off for Rome, where he 

 anived in November, 1594, and was received with 

 great distinction. The pope overwhelmed him witli 

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