st and
most illustrious gatherings of the Renaissance. This scene, rich in form
and color, taken in conjunction with the stage, and the performances of
the comedies of Plautus, and with the pantomimes and the _moresche_
which occupied the time between the acts, is so romantic that we might
imagine ourselves translated to Shakespeare's _Midsummer-Night's Dream_,
and that Duke Ercole had changed places with Theseus, Duke of Athens,
and that the comedies were being performed before him and the happy
bridal pair.

According to the program, from February 3d to February 8th--with the
exception of one evening--five of the plays of Plautus were to be given.
The intermissions were to be devoted to music and _moresche_. The
_moresca_ resembled the modern ballet; that is, a pantomime dance. It is
of very ancient origin, and traces of it appear in the Middle Ages. At
first it was a war dance in costume, which character it preserved for a
long time. The name is, I believe, derived from the fact that in all the
Latin countries which suffered from the invasions of the Saracens,
dances in which the participants were armed and which simulated the
battles of the Moor and Christian were executed. The Moors, for the sake
of contrast, were represented as black. Subsequently the meaning of the
term _moresca_ was extended to include the ballet in general, and all
sorts of scenes in which dances accompanied by flutes and violins were
introduced. The subjects were derived from mythology, the age of
chivalry, and everyday life.

There were also comic dances performed by fantastic monsters, peasants,
clowns, wild animals, and satyrs, during which blows were freely dealt
right and left. The classico-romantic ballet appears to have reached a
high development in Ferrara, which was the home of the romantic
epics--the _Mambriano_ and the _Orlando_. It is needless to say that the
ballet possessed great attraction for the public in those days, just as it
now does. The presentation of the comedies of Plautus would have no more
effect upon people of this age than would a puppet show. They lasted
from four to five hours--from six in the evening until midnight.

The first evening the duke conducted his guests into the theater, and
when they had taken their seats, Plautus appeared before the bridal
couple and addressed some complimentary verses to them. After this the
_Epidicus_ was presented. Each act was followed by a ballet, and five
beautiful _moresch