NOTES TO THE FIRST BOOK OF THE COURTIER Caterina Sforza, a natural daughter of Duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza of Milan, who by the last of her three husbands became the mother of the even more famous condottiere Giovanni de' Medici delle Bande Nere. She was born in 1462, and died in 1509 after a life of singular vicissitudes. For an extraordinary story of her courage, see Dennistoun's " Memoirs of the Dukes of Urbino," i, 292. The " one whom I will not name at present " is supposed to have been a certain brave soldier of fortune, Caspar Sanseverino, who is often mentioned as " Captain Fracassa," and was a brother of the Galeazzo Sanseverino who appears a little later in The Courtier (see page 34 and note 72). Note 67, page 28. The philosopher in question has been variously identified as Democritus and Empedocles. Note 68, page 30. In Charles V's romantic plan for deciding by single com- bat his rivalry with Francis I, Castiglione was selected as his second, but de- clined to violate diplomatic proprieties by accepting the offer, — being at the time papal envoy at Charles's court. Note 69, page 31. Strictly speaking, the joust was a single contest between man and man, while the tourney was a sham battle between two squadrons. Stick-throwing seems to have been an equestrian game introduced by the Moors into Spain, and by the Spaniards into Italy. In the carnival of 1519 it was played by two companies in the Piazza of St. Peter's before Leo X. Note 70, page 31. Vaulting on horse seems to have included some of the feats of agility with which modern circus riders have familiarized us. Note 71, page 33. "Finds grace," i.e. favour: literally "is grateful" (grato) in the sense of acceptable or pleasing. Compare the familiar phrase persona grata. Note 72, page 34. Galeazzo Sanseverino was one of the twelve stalwart sons of Roberto Sanseverino, a brave condottiere who aided to place Ludo- vico Sforza in power at Milan, rebelled against that prince, and was slain while fighting for the Venetians in i486. Galeazzo entered the service of Ludovico, whose favour had been attracted by his personal charm, literary accomplishments and rare skill in knightly exercises. When he married his patron's natural daughter Bianca, in 1489, Leonardo da Vinci arranged the jousts held in honour of the wedding. Thenceforth he adopted the names Visconti and Sforza, and was treated as a member of the ducal family. In 1496, at the head of the Milanese forces, he besieged the Duke of Orleans (afterwards Louis XII) at Novara, but in 1500 he was captured by the French, and after the final downfall of Ludovico (to whom he seems to have remained creditably loyal) he entered the service of Louis XII, who made him Grand Equerry in 1506. The duties of his office included the superintendence of all 337
