the ftudy of philofophy and poetry, and formed the defign of his celebrated poem, Jerufalem delivered he invented the fable, difpofed the different parts, and determined to dedicate this work to the glory of the house of Efte. He was greatly efteemed by Alphonfo II. the laft duke of Ferrara, that great patron of learning, and by his brother, cardinal Luigi. There was a fort of contest between these two brothers in relation to this poem. The car dinal imagined that he had a right to be the Macenas of all Tafio's works, as Rinaldo, his first poem, had been dedicated to him: the duke on the other hand thought, that as his brother had already received his share of honour, he ought not to be offended at feeing the name of Alphonfo at the head of Jerufalem delivered. Our poet was invited to Ferrara; the duke gave him an apartment in his palace, where he lived in peace and affluence, and purfeed his defign of completing his Jerufalem, which he now refolved to dedicate to Alphonfo.

The name of Taffo now became famous through all Europe: and the careffes he received from Charles IX. in a journey he made to France with cardinal Luigi, who went thi. ther in quality of legate, fhewed the univerfality of his reputation.

When Taffo returned from France, he applied himself to complete his Jerufalem, and in the mean time published his Aminta, a Paftoral Comedy, which was received with univerfal applaufe. This was the original of the Paftor Fido, Fillidi Sciro, &c.

Taffo, who had fo well painted the paffion of love, could not be fuppofed infenfible to it himself. It was fufpected, however, that, like

another Ovid, he had raifed his defires too high; and fome paffages in his poetry countenanced this suspicion:

Ma, chi de paventare in alta Impresa, S'avien, ch'amor l'affide & But who, infpir'd by love, can dangers fear?

The object of his paffion was fuppofed to be the princess Leonora of Efte, fifter to his noble patron; a lady diftinguished by her literary accomplishments, and the clegance of her taste.

In the thirtieth year of his age, Taffo completed his Jerufalem: but this poem was not published by his own authority; it was printed contrary to his will, as foon as he had finished the last book, and before he had time to give the revifals and corrections that a work of fuch a nature required. The fuccefs of it, however, was prodigious; it was tranflated into the Latin, French, Spanish, and even the Oriental languages, almost as foon as it appeared.

The illuftrious author might now have fat down under the shade of his own laurels, and enjoyed the fecurity of immortal fame; but he foon found that great talents afford no protection from human misfortunes. He met with many evils against which philofophy is no fhield, and with fome that are peculiar to genius and fenfibility.

The death of his father, which happened about this time, feemed to forebode other misfortunes to Taffo; and the remainder of his life proved almost one continued scene of vexation and affliction. A swarm of critics began to attack his Jerufalem, and the academy of Crufca, in particular, publifhed a criticism on his poem, in which they fcrupled not to prefer the Rhapfodies of Pulci

and

and Boyendo to the Jerufalem delivered.

During Taffo's refidence in the duke's court, he had contracted an intimacy with a gentleman of Ferrara and having entrusted him with fome tranfactions of a very defiecare nature, this perfon was fo treacherous as to speak of them again. Taffo reproached his friend with his indifcretion, who received his expoftulation in fuch a manner, that Taffo was provoked to strike him: a challenge immediately enfued: the two opponents met at St. Leonard's gate; but while they were engaged, three brothers of Taffo's antagonist came in, and bafely fell all at once upon the Bard; who defended himfelf fo gallantly, that he wounded two of them, and kept his ground against the others till fome people came in and feparated them. This affair made a great noife at Ferrara: nothing was talked of but the valour of our poet; and it became a fort of proverb, "that Taff, with his pen and fword, was fuperior to all men :"

Con la Penna, e con la Spada, Neun val quanto Torquato. Some time after this rencontre, Talo went to Rome to vifit his old friend and tutor, Mauritio Cathneo. The whole city of Rome feemed to rejoice at the prefence of fo extraordinary a perfon: he was vifited by princes, cardinals, prelates, and by all the learned in general.

next morning disguising himself in the habit of one of thole people, he continued his way, and in four days time arrived at Gaieta, almost spent with fatigue: here he embarked in a veffel bound for Sorrento, at which place he arrived in fafety the next day. He entered the city, and went directly to his fifter's houfe; the was a widow, and the two fons the had by her husband being at that time abfent, Taflo found her with only fome of her female attendants. He advanced towards her without difcovering himself, and, pretending that he came with news from her brother, gave her a letter which he had prepared for that purpofe. This letter informed her, that her brother's life was in great danger, and that he begged her to make ufe of all the intereft her tenderness might fuggeft to her, in order to procure letters of recommendation from fome powerful perfon to avert the threatened misfortune. For farther particulars of the affair, the was referred to the meffenger who brought her this intelligence. The lady, terrified at the news, earnestly intreated him to give her a detail of her brother's misfortune. The feigned meffenger then gave her fo interefting an account of the pretended ftory, that, unable to contain her affliction, the fainted away. Taffo was fenfibly touched at this convincing proof of his fifter's affection, and repented that he had gone fo far: he began to comfort her, and, removing her fears by little and little, at lafi difcovered himself to her. Her joy at feeing a brother, whom the tenderly loved, was inexpreffible. After the firft falutations were over, the was very defirous to know the occafion of his difguifing himself in that manner. Taffo acquainted her with

But the defire of revifiting his native country, and feeing his fifter Cornelia, foon made him unealy in this fituation. He left his friend one evening, without giving him notice, and beginning his journey on foot, arrived by night at the mountains of Veletri, where he took up his lodging with fome fhepherds the

his reafons, and, at the fame time, giving her to underftand that he would willingly remain with her unknown to the world, Cornelia, who defired nothing farther than to acquiefce in his pleasure, fent for her children, and fome of her nearest relations, who, fhe thought, might be entrusted with the fecret. They agreed, that Taffo fhould pafs for a relation of theirs, who came from Bergamo to Naples upon his private bufinefs, and from thence had come to Sorrento to pay them a vifit. Af ter this precaution, Taffo took up his refidence at his fifter's houfe, where he lived for fome time in tranquility.

But he continued not long in this repofe before he received repeated letters from the princefs Leonora of Efte, who was acquainted with the place of his retreat, to return to Ferrara: he refolved to obey the fummons, and took leave of his fifter, telling her he was going to return a voluntary prifoner. In his way he paffed through Rome, where, having been detained fome time with a dangerous fever, he repaired from thence to Ferrara, in company with GuaJingo, embalador from the duke to the pope.

Various reafons have been affigned for Taffo's return to Ferrara; but most authors are of opinion, that his attachment to Leonora was the principal motive, and that he returned at her particular injunction.

The duke received Taflo with great feeming fatisfaction, and gave him fresh marks of his esteem; but refufed him what he very much wanted, the poffeflion of his own manufcripts. To add to his mortification, he was denied accefs to the princefies; he therefore quitted Ferrara; but, after being difappointed

of that protection which he hoped to find in other courts, once more returned thither.

Alphonfo pretending that ftudy had difordered Taffo's underftanding, while he was most probably only exafperated at his flight, caufed him to be trialy confined in the hofpital of St. Anne. Tafso tried every method to foften the duke, and obtain his liberty. But the duke coldly anfwered thofe who applied to him," that inftead of concerning themfelves with the complaints of a perfon in his condition, who was very little capable of judging for his own good, they ought, rather to exhort him patiently to submit to fuch remedies as were judged proper for his circumftances."

Poor Taffo was kept in this confinement for seven years; and that madnefs which, poffibly, at first was only pretended, in length of time, through impatience and melancholy, became real; infomuch that he would fometimes fancy himfelf haunted by a fpirit which difordered his books and papers. length the importunities of his friend, the prince of Mantua, procured him his enlargement; and, with that prince, he removed to Mantua.

At

In this place he gave one proof at leaft that his disorder had not overcome his prudence.

It is faid that the young prince of Mantua, who was naturaily gay, being defirous to countenance his pleafures by the example of a philofopher, introduced one day into Taffo's company, three fifters to fing and play upon inftruments: the fe ladies were all very handsome, but were not of the most rigid virtue. After fome fhort difcourfe, he told Taffo that he should take two

of

of them away and would leave one behind, and bad him take his choice. Taffo answered," that it coft Paris very dear to give the preference to one of the goddeffes, and therefore, with his permiffion, he defigned to retain the three." The prince took him at his word, and departed; when Taffo, after a little converfation, hand fomely difmiffed them all with prefents.

From Mantua he went to Naples, and from thence, being in the fortyfifth year of his age, he retired to Bifaccio, with his friend Manfo, in whofe company he lived fome time, with great tranquility.

In this place Manfo had an opportunity of examining the fingular effects of Taffo's melancholy; and often difputed with him concerning a familiar fpirit, which he pretended to converfe with, Manfo endeavoured in vain to perfuade his friend that the whole was the illufion of a disturbed imagination; but the latter was strenuous in maintaining the reality of what he afferted; and to convince Manfo, defired him to be prefent at one of those mysterious converfations. Manfo had the complaifance to meet him next day, and, while they were engaged in difcourfe, on a fudden he obferved that Tafo kept his eye fixt upon a window, and remained in a manner immoveable. He called him by his name several times, but received no anfwer. At laft Taffo cried out, "There is the friendly fpirit who is come to converfe with me: look, and you will be convinced of the truth of all that I have faid." Manfo heard him with furprize; he looked, but faw nothing except the fun beams darting through the window: he caft his eyes all over the room but could perceive nothing, and was just

going to ask where the pretended fpirit was, when he heard Taffo fpeak with great earnestnefs, fometimes putting queftions to the spirit, and fometimes giving answers, delivering the whole in fuch a pleafing manner, and with fuch elevated expreffions, that he liftened with admiration, and had not the least inclination to interrupt him. At last this uncommon converfation ended with the departure of the fpirit, as appeared by Taffo's words, who, turning towards Manfo, afked him if his doubts were removed? Manfo was more amazed than ever; he fcarce knew what to think of his friend's fituation, and waved any farther converfation on the fubject.

After this we find Taffo once more at Rome, and that he lived about a year there, in great efteem with pope Sixtus V. when being invited to Florence by Ferdinando, grand duke of Tuscany, who had been cardinal at Rome, when Taffo first refided there, and who now employed the pope's intereft to procure a vifit from him, he could not withstand fuch folicitations, but went to Florence, where he met with a moft gracious reception. Yet not all the careffes he received at the duke's court, nor all the promifes of that prince, could overcome his love for his native country, or leffen the defire he had to live a retired and independent life. He therefore took his leave of the grand duke, who would have loaded him with prefents; but Tallo, as ufual, could be prevailed upon to accept of no more than was neceffary for his prefent occafions.

However, notwithstanding his love of retirement, and of his native country, paffions that are born with poets, we find him prevailed upon to visit the prince of Conca, and to accept

of

of an apartment in his palace. Here he applied himself to a new work, entitled, Jerufalem conquered, which he had begun during his first refidence at Naples. The prince of Conca being jealous left any one fhould deprive him of the poet and the poem, caused him to be fo narrowly watched that Taffo obferved it, and being difpleafed at fuch a proceeding, left the prince's palace, and retired to his friend Manfo's, where he lived matter of himself, and of his actions: yet he ftill continued upon good terms with the prince of Conca.

In a fhort time after he published his Jerufalem conquered, which poem, as a French writer obferves, is a fufficient proof of the injuftice of the criticifms that had been paffed upon his Jerufalem delivered, fince the Jerufalem conquered, in which he endeavoured to conform himself to the tafte of his critics, was not received with the fame approbation as the former poem, where he had entirely given himfelf up to the enthufiafm of his genius. He had likewife defigned a new correction of his Jerufalem delivered, which, as we are informed, was to have been combined with the Jerufalem conquered; but this defign was never compleated. The above-cited author remarks, that in all probability this last performance would not have equalled the firft, and indeed our poet feems to owe his fame to the original work, Jerufalem delivered, the fecond poem on that fubject being little known.

Our readers will here remark a ftriking resemblance of circumstances between Taffo and Milton. Taffo, we are told, wrote a Jerufalem cɔnquered, which we have not feen; Milton wrote a Paradife regained,

which we have feen, and have been forry for.

When Clement VIII. fucceeded to the papacy, Taffo was invited to Rome by the pope's nephew, the cardinal of St. George, a great påtron of science. He accepted the invitation, and once more abandoned his peaceful retreat at Naples.

The following circumftance which happened in his journey to Rome, affords us a proof of the great veneration which, in those days, was paid to the characters and perfons of Poets.

The confines of the ecclefiaftical ftate being infefted with banditti, travellers, for fecurity, go together in large companies. Taffo joined himself to one of thefe; but when they came within fight of Mola, a little town near Gaieta, they received intelligence that Sciarra, a famous captain of robbers, was near at hand, with a great body of men. Taffo was of opinion that they should continue their journey, and endeavour to defend themfelves, if attacked. However, this advice was overruled, and they threw themselves for fafety into Morla, in which place they remained fome time in a manner blocked up by Sciarra. But this outlaw, hearing that Taffo was one of the company, fent à meffage to affure him that he might pass in fafety; and offered himself to conduct him wherever he pleafed. Taffo returned him thanks, but declined accepting the offer, not chufing, perhaps, to rely on the word of a perfon of fuch character. Sciarra, upon this, fent a fecond meffage, by which he informed Taffo, that, upon his account, he would withdraw his

cu, and leave the ways open. He accordingly did fo, and Taffo, continuing his journey, without any accident,