rary poets. His love for Lucrezia Donati, in whose
honour the tournament of 1467 was popularly supposed to be held, though
in reality it was given to celebrate his betrothal with Clarice Orsini,
seems to have been merely an affectation in the manner of Petrarch, so
fashionable at that time. Certainly the Florentines, for that day at
least, wished to substitute a lady of their city for the Roman beauty,
and Lorenzo seems to have agreed with them. Like the tournament that
Giuliano held later in honour of Simonetta Vespucci, which Poliziano has
immortalised, and for which Botticelli painted a banner, this pageant of
Lorenzo's, for it was rather a pageant than a fight, was sung, too, by
Luca Pulci, and was held in Piazza S. Croce. A rumour of the splendour
of the dresses, the beauty and enthusiasm of the scene, has come down to
us, together with Lorenzo's own account of the day, and Clarice's
charming letter to him concerning it. "To follow the custom," he writes
unenthusiastically in his Memoir--"to follow the custom and do as others
do, I gave a tournament in Piazza S. Croce at a great cost, and with a
considerable magnificence; it seems about 10,000 ducats were spent.
Although I was not a great fighter, nor even a very strong hitter, I won
the prize, a helmet of inlaid silver, with a figure of Mars as a crest."
"I have received your letter, in which you tell me of the tournament
where you won the prize," writes Clarice, "and it has given me much
pleasure. I am glad you are fortunate in what pleases you and that my
prayers are heard, for I have no other wish but to see you happy. Give
my respects to my father Piero and my mother Lucrezia, and all who are
near to you, and I send, too, my respect to you. I have nothing else to
say.--Yours, Clarice de Orsinis." Poor little Clarice, she was married
to Lorenzo on June 4, in the following year. "I, Lorenzo, took to wife
Clarice, daughter of Signor Jacopo, or rather she was given to me." He
writes more coldly, certainly, than he was used to do. The marriage
festa was celebrated in Palazzo Riccardi with great magnificence.
Clarice, who was tall, slender, and shapely, with long delicate hands
and auburn hair, but without great beauty of feature, dressed in white
and gold, was borne on horseback through the garlanded way, in a
procession of girls and matrons, trumpeters and pipers, all Florence
following after to the Palace. There in the loggia above the garden she
dined with the new