He entertained the
guests of the Republic with magnificence, that they might be impressed
by the security of his unlawful government.

Lorenzo, the grandson of Cosimo dei Medici, carried on his policy. It
had been successful, for the Florentines of their own accord put
themselves beneath the sway of a second tyrant.

"Poets of every kind, gentle and simple, with golden cithern and with
rustic lute, came from every quarter to animate the suppers of the
Magnifico; whosoever sang of arms, of love, of saints, of fools, was
welcome, or he who, drinking and joking, kept the company amused. . . .
And in order that the people might not be excluded from this new
beatitude (a thing which was important to the Magnifico), he composed
and set in order many mythological representations, triumphal cars,
dances, and every kind of festal celebration, to solace and delight
them; and thus he succeeded in banishing from their souls any
recollection of their ancient greatness, in making them insensible to
the ills of the country, in disfranchising and debasing them by means
of temporal ease and intoxication of the senses."

Lorenzo the Magnificent was endowed with charms {34} that were
naturally potent with a beauty-loving people. He had been very
carefully trained by the prudent Cosimo, so that he excelled in
physical exercises and could also claim a place among the most
intellectual in Florence. Although singularly ill-favoured, he had
personal qualities which attracted men and women. He spared no pains
to array himself with splendour whenever he appeared in public. At
tournaments he wore a costume ornamented with gold and silver thread,
and displayed the great Medicean diamond--_Il Libro_--on his shield,
which bore the _fleur-de-lis_ of France in token of the friendship
between the Medici and that nation. The sound of drums and fifes
heralded the approach of Lorenzo the Magnificent, and cheers acclaimed
him victor when he left the field bearing the coveted silver helmet as
a trophy.

Lorenzo worshipped a lady who had given him a bunch of violets as a
token, according to the laws of chivalry. He wrote sonnets in honour
of Lucrezia Donati, but he was not free to marry her, the great house
of Medici looking higher than her family. The bride, chosen for the
honour of mating with the ruler of Florence, was a Roman lady of such
noble birth that it was not considered essential that she should bring
a substantial dowry. Clarice O