reposed in
peace for the rest of his days, and to have devoted himself to the
adornment of Mantua and the aggrandizing of his family. His court
was the home of many artists; and Titian painted for him the Twelve
Caesars, which the Germans stole when they sacked the city in 1630.
But his great agent and best beloved genius was Giulio Pippi, called
Romano, who was conducted to Mantua by pleasant Count Baldassare
Castiglione.

Pleasant Count Baldassare Castiglione! whose incomparable book of the
"Cortigiano" succeeded in teaching his countrymen every gentlemanly
grace but virtue. He was born at Casatico in the Mantovano, in the
year 1476, and went in his boyhood to be schooled at Milan, where he
learnt the profession of arms. From Milan he went to Rome, where
he exercised his profession of arms till the year 1504, when he was
called to gentler uses at the court of the elegant Dukes of Urbino. He
lived there as courtier and court-poet, and he returned to Rome as the
ambassador from Urbino. Meantime his liege, Francesco Gonzaga, was but
poorly pleased that so brilliant a Mantuan should spend his life in
the service and ornament of other princes, and Castiglione came back
to his native country about the year 1516. He married in Mantua, and
there finished his famous book of "The Courtier," and succeeded in
winning back the favor of his prince. Federico, the Duke, made him
ambassador to Rome in 1528; and Baldassare did his master two signal
services there,--he procured him to be named head of all the Papal
forces, and he found him Giulio Romano. So the Duke suffered him to
go as the Pope's Nuncio to Spain, and Baldassare finished his courtly
days at Toledo in 1529.

The poet made a detour to Mantua on his way to Spain, taking with
him the painter, whom the Duke received with many caresses, as Vasari
says, presented him a house honorably furnished, ordered provision for
him and his pupils, gave them certain brave suits of velvet and satin,
and, seeing that Giulio had no horse, called for his own favorite
Luggieri, and bestowed it on him. Ah! they knew how to receive
painters, those fine princes, who had merely to put their hands into
their people's pocket, and take out what florins they liked. So the
Duke presently set the artist to work, riding out with him through the
gate of San Bastiano to some stables about a bow-shot from the walls,
in the midst of a flat meadow, where he told Giulio that he would be
glad (if it could