The Book of the Courtier
theory that the Courtier’s highest aim is the instruction of
his prince. 49-52: Whether the Courtier ought to be in love;
Bembo appointed to discourse on love and beauty. 53-4: Evils
and perils of sensual love. 55-6: Digression concerning the
love of old men. 57-60: True beauty, the reflection of
goodness. 61-4: In what manner the unyouthful Courtier ought to
love; rational love contrasted with sensual love. 65-7:
Contemplation of abstract beauty. 68-9: Contemplation of divine
beauty. 70-1: Bembo’s invocation to the Holy Spirit. 72:
Instances in which a vision of divine beauty has been granted
to mortals. 73: Termination of the discussion at dawn.
PRELIMINARY NOTES,—Life of the Author, etc. 313
NOTES TO THE DEDICATORY LETTER 317
NOTES TO THE FIRST BOOK OF THE COURTIER 325
NOTES TO THE SECOND BOOK OF THE COURTIER 355
NOTES TO THE THIRD BOOK OF THE COURTIER 387
NOTES TO THE FOURTH BOOK OF THE COURTIER 407
LIST OF EDITIONS OF THE BOOK OF THE COURTIER 417
INDEX 423
LIST OF PLATES
1 BALDESAR CASTIGLIONE, Count of Novillara; Raphael; Frontispiece
2 BALDESAR CASTIGLIONE; anonymous medal; Title-page
Facing page
3 FRANCESCO MARIA DELLA ROVERE, Duke of Urbino; 1
Titian;
4 GUIDOBALDO DI MONTEFELTRO, Duke of Urbino; 9
Giovanni Santi (?);
5 EMILIA PIA; medal by Giancristoforo Romano (?); 11
6 ELISABETTA GONZAGA, Duchess of Urbino; Mantegna 12
(?);
7 BERNARDO ACCOLTI, the “Unico Aretino;” Vasari; 16
8 COUNT LUDOVICO DA CANOSSA; anonymous; 20
9 CARDINAL IPPOLITO D’ESTE; anonymous medal; 22
10 GALEAZZO SANSEVERINO; anonymous; 34
11 ANGELO AMBROGINI, “Poliziano;” Ghirlandajo; 51
12 MONSEIGNEUR D’ANGOULÊME, Francis I of France; 57
anonymous medal;
13 MICHELANGELO BUONARROTI; Daniele da Volterra (?); 67
14 BORSO D’ESTE, Duke of Ferrara; Francesco Cossa; 77
15 AUTOGRAPHS; 89
16 AUTOGRAPHS; 96
17 GIACOPO SANNAZARO; Vasari; 113
18 LEONARDO DA VINCI; autograph drawing; 117
19 BERNARDO DOVIZI DA BIBBIENA; Raphael (?); 123
20 POPE ALEXANDER VI; Pinturicchio; 126
21 ERCOLE D’ESTE, Duke of Ferrara; anonymous relief; 129
22 GALEOTTO MARZI DA NARNI; anonymous medal; 136
23 TOMMASO INGHIRAMI, “Fedra;” Raphael (?); 138
24 PRINCE DJEM; Pinturicchio; 141
25 AGOSTINO BEVAZZANO; Raphael; 144
26 OTTAVIANO UBALDINI; Melozzo da Forli; 147
27 RAPHAEL; Sebastiano del Piombo; 149
28 FRANCESCO ALIDOSI, Cardinal of Pavia; anonymous 151
relief;
29 POPE LEO X; Raphael; 152
30 AUTOGRAPHS; 169
31 GIULIANO DE’ MEDICI, “My lord Magnifico;” 175
Alessandro Allori;
32 ISABELLA THE CATHOLIC; Miguel Zittoz (?); 203
33 ISABELLA D’ESTE, Marchioness of Mantua; Titian; 204
34 LUDOVICO GONZAGA, Bishop of Mantua; Mantegna; 215
35 FERDINAND THE CATHOLIC; Miguel Zittoz (?); 219
36 ELEANORA GONZAGA, Duchess of Urbino; Titian; 244
37 POPE JULIUS II; Raphael; 274
38 PRINCE HENRY OF WALES, Henry VIII; anonymous; 276
39 FEDERICO GONZAGA, Marquess and Duke of Mantua; 279
anonymous medal;
40 CARDINAL PIETRO BEMBO; medal by Benvenuto Cellini 288
(?);
41 BALDESAR CASTIGLIONE, Count of Novillara; 313
anonymous;
42 CASTIGLIONE’S TOMB, near Mantua; Giulio Romano; 314
43 VITTORIA COLONNA, Marchioness of Pescara; 320
anonymous medal;
44 FEDERICO GONZAGA, Marquess of Mantua; Mantegna; 322
45 FEDERICO DI MONTEFELTRO, Duke of Urbino; Mino da 325
Fiesole (?);
46 ALFONSO II OF NAPLES; medal by Guazzalotti; 327
47 FERDINAND II OF NAPLES; anonymous bronze bust; 328
48 GIACOMO SADOLETO; Vasari; 331
49 LOUIS XII OF FRANCE; anonymous pen-drawing; 332
50 MATTHIAS CORVINUS OF HUNGARY; anonymous medal; 336
51 ANDREA MANTEGNA; anonymous bronze relief; 341
52 LORENZO DE’ MEDICI, “the Magnificent;” medal by 345
Pollaiuolo;
53 BEATRICE D’ESTE, Duchess of Milan; Piero della 352
Francesca (?);
54 FILIPPO MARIA VISCONTI, Duke of Milan; Pisanello; 355
55 NICCOLÒ PICCININO; Pisanello; 356
56 MAXIMILIAN I OF GERMANY; Ambrogio da Predis; 359
57 CHARLES VIII OF FRANCE; anonymous bust; 360
58 POPE NICHOLAS V; medal by Guazzalotti; 362
59 GIROLAMO DONATO; anonymous relief; 365
60 GIOVANNI CALFURNIO; anonymous relief; 366
61 CONSALVO DE CORDOBA, “the Great Captain;” medal by 368
Annibal;
62 COSIMO DE’ MEDICI, “Pater Patriæ;” medal by 370
Niccolò Fiorentino;
63 BAJAZET II OF TURKEY; anonymous print; 372
64 ALFONSO I OF NAPLES; Pisanello; 375
65 CESARE BORGIA, Duke of Valentinois; Beccaruzzi 377
(?);
66 LUDOVICO SFORZA, Duke of Milan; Cristoforo Solari; 381
67 ANNE OF BRITTANY; medal by Jean Perreal; 393
68 MARGARITA OF AUSTRIA; anonymous; 395
69 BEATRICE OF ARAGON, Queen of Hungary; anonymous 397
bust;
70 ISABELLA OF ARAGON, Duchess of Milan; medal by 398
Giancristoforo Romano;
71 FEDERICO III OF NAPLES; anonymous medal; 400
72 ELEANORA OF ARAGON, Duchess of Ferrara; anonymous 402
relief;
73 GIANFRANCESCO GONZAGA, Marquess of Mantua; 409
Francesco Bonsignori (?);
74 HENRY VII OF ENGLAND; anonymous; 412
75 DON CARLOS, Prince of Spain; Bernhard Strigel (?); 414
76 REVERSE OF MEDAL ON TITLE-PAGE; End piece
INTERLOCUTORS
ELISABETTA GONZAGA, wife of Guidobaldo di Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino.
Aged 46.
EMILIA PIA, friend and companion of the Duchess, and widow of the
Duke’s half-brother. Aged about 30.
MARGARITA GONZAGA, young niece and companion of the Duchess.
COSTANZA FREGOSA, young half-niece of the Duke.
FRANCESCO MARIA DELLA ROVERE, nephew and adopted heir of the Duke. Aged
17.
Count LUDOVICO DA CANOSSA, a kinsman of the author, afterwards made
Bishop of Bayeux. aged 31.
FEDERICO FREGOSO, half-nephew of the Duke, afterwards made a cardinal.
Aged 27.
GIULIANO DE’ MEDICI, an exile from Florence, known at Urbino as “My
lord Magnifico,” and afterwards made Duke of Nemours. Aged 29.
BERNARDO DOVIZI, better known as BIBBIENA, an adherent of the Medici,
afterwards made a cardinal. Aged 37.
OTTAVIANO FREGOSO, elder brother of Costanza and Federico, afterwards
Doge of Genoa.
PIETRO BEMBO, a Venetian scholar and poet, afterwards made a cardinal.
Aged 37.
CESARE GONZAGA, a kinsman of the Duchess, and cousin as well as close
friend of the author. Aged about 32.
BERNARDO ACCOLTI, better known as the UNICO ARETINO, a courtier-poet
and popular extemporizer. Aged about 42.
Count GASPAR PALLAVICINO. Aged 21.
GIANCRISTOFORO ROMANO, a sculptor, medallist, etc. Aged about 42.
COLLO VINCENZO CALMETA, a courtier-poet.
LUDOVICO PIO, a brave young soldier, and kinsman of Emilia Pia.
SIGISMONDO MORELLO DA ORTONA, an elderly courtier.
Fra SERAFINO, a jester.
Time: March 1507.
Place: The Palace of Urbino.
Reduced from Braun’s photograph (no. 40.605) of the portrait, in the
Uffizi Gallery at Florence, by Titian (1477-1576).
TO THE REVEREND AND ILLUSTRIOUS
LORD DOM MIGUEL DE SILVA,[1]
BISHOP OF VISEU
1.—When my lord Guidobaldo di Montefeltro,[2] Duke of Urbino, passed
from this life, I, together with several other cavaliers who had served
him, remained in the service of Duke Francesco Maria della Rovere,[3]
his heir and successor in the State. And as the recollection of Duke
Guido’s character was fresh in my mind, and the delight I had during
those years in the kind companionship of the notable persons who at that
time frequented the Court of Urbino, I was moved by their memory to
write these books of the Courtier, which I did in a few days,[4]
purposing in time to correct those errours that arose from the wish to
pay this debt speedily. But for many years past fortune has burdened me
with toil so constant that I never could find leisure to make the book
such as would content even my poor judgment.
Now being in Spain,[5] and learning from Italy that my lady Vittoria
della Colonna, Marchioness of Pescara,[6] to whom I gave a copy of the
book, had against her word caused a large part of it to be transcribed,
I could not but feel some annoyance, fearing the many inconveniences
that may befall in such cases. Still, I relied upon the wit and good
sense of this lady (whose character I have always held in veneration as
a thing divine) to prevent any mischief coming to me from having obeyed
her wishes. Finally I was informed that this part of the book was in the
hands of many people at Naples; and as men are always eager for anything
new, it seemed likely that someone might try to have it printed.[7]
Alarmed at this peril, then, I resolved to revise the book at once so
far as I had time, with intent to publish it; for I thought better to
let it be seen imperfectly corrected by my own hand than grievously
mutilated by the hand of others.
And so, to carry out this plan, I began to read the book again; and
touched at the very outset by the title, I was saddened not a little,
and far more so as I went on, by the thought that most of the personages
introduced in the discussion were already dead; for besides those
mentioned in the proem of the last Book, messer Alfonso Ariosto[8] (to
whom the work is dedicated) is also dead, a gracious youth, considerate,
of the highest breeding, and apt in everything proper to a man who lives
at court. Likewise Duke Giuliano de’ Medici,[9] whose kindness and noble
courtesy deserved to be enjoyed longer by the world. Messer