ogress in Ferrara than had poetry
and the sciences; but while no master of the first rank, no Raphael or
Titian appeared, there were, nevertheless, some who won a not
unimportant place in the history of Italian culture. The Este were
patrons of painting; they had their palaces decorated with frescoes,
some of which, still considered noteworthy on account of their
originality, are preserved in the Palazzo Schifanoja, where they were
rediscovered in the year 1840. About the middle of the fifteenth
century, Ferrara had its own school, the chief of which was Cosimo Tura.
It produced two remarkable painters, Dosso Dossi and Benvenuto Tisio,
the latter of whom, under the name of Garofalo, became famous as one of
Raphael's greatest pupils. The works of these artists, who were
Lucretia's contemporaries--Garofalo being a year younger--still adorn
many of the churches, and are the chief attractions in the galleries of
the city.

Such, broadly sketched, was the intellectual life of Ferrara in the year
1502. We, therefore, see that in addition to her brilliant court and her
political importance as the capital of the State, she possessed a highly
developed spiritual life. The chroniclers state that her population at
that time numbered a hundred thousand souls; and at the beginning of the
sixteenth century--her most flourishing period--she was probably more
populous than Rome. In addition to the nobility there was an active
bourgeoisie engaged in commerce and manufacturing, especially weaving,
who enjoyed life.

[Illustration: BENVENUTO GAROFALO.

From an engraving by G. Batt. Cecchi.]

FOOTNOTES:

[177] Cittadella (Guida del Forestiere in Ferrara, Ferrara, 1873)
ridicules the story of the looking-glass that disclosed the love of Ugo
and Parisina. See his Castello di Ferrara, Turin, 1873, and the
description of the castle in the Notizie storico-artistiche sui primarii
palazzi d'Italia, Firenze, Cennini, 1871.

[178] Luigi Napoleone Cittadella, La Stampa in Ferrara. Ferrara, 1873.

[179] See first part of Villari's well known biography of Savonarola.

CHAPTER V

DEATH OF ALEXANDER VI

Alexander carefully followed everything that took place in Ferrara. He
never lost sight of his daughter. She and his agents reported every mark
of favor or disfavor which she received. Following the excitement of the
wedding festivities there were painful days for Lucretia, as she was
forced to meet envy and contempt, and to win fo