st beloved of
the Italian princes, as the proper channel through which a
king of Hungary might convey his petitions to the apostolic
throne. In the mighty contest between the crown and the
mitre, the Marquis Azo and the Countess Matilda led the
powers of Italy. And when the standard of St. Peter was
displayed, neither the age of the one nor the sex of the
other could detain them from the field. With these two
affectionate clients the Pope maintained his station in the
fortress of Canossa, while the Emperor, barefoot on the
frozen ground, fasted and prayed three days at the foot of
the rock; they were witnesses to the abject ceremony of the
penance and pardon of Henry IV.; and in the triumph of the
Church a patriot might foresee the deliverance of Italy from
the German yoke. At the time of this event the Marquis of
Este was above fourscore; but in the twenty following years
he was still alive and active amidst the revolutions of
peace and war. The last act which he subscribed is dated
above a century after his birth; and in that the venerable
chief possesses the command of his faculties, his family,
and his fortune. In this rare prerogative the longevity of
Albert Azo the Second stands alone. Nor can I remember in
the _authentic_ annals of mortality a single example of a
king or prince, of a statesman or general, of a philosopher
or poet, whose life has been extended beyond the period of a
hundred years.... Three approximations which will not
hastily be matched have distinguished the present century,
Aurungzebe, Cardinal Fleury, and Fontenelle. Had a fortnight
more been given to the philosopher, he might have celebrated
his secular festival; but the lives and labours of the Mogul
king and the French minister were terminated before they had
accomplished their ninetieth year."

Then follow several striking and graceful pages on Lucrezia Borgia and
Renee of France, Duchess of Ferrara. The following description of the
University of Padua and the literary tastes of the house of Este is
all that we can give here:--

"An university had been founded at Padua by the house of
Este, and the scholastic rust was polished away by the
revival of the literature of Greece and Rome. The studies of
Ferrara were directed by skilful and eloquent professors,
ei