After the death of the Duchess Beatrice this
...
1497/98 ????
...
brilliant cavalier left Milan to visit his old home at
Correggio, but feared to accept a pressing invitation
from Isabella to bring his daughter, Leonora, to see
her, lest he should bring the plague to Mantua. On
the 8th of June he wrote from the heart of Petrarch's
country : —
" To-morrow, my dear lady, I am going to dine at
Selvapiena, two miles from Rosena, where the most
celebrated Messer Francesco Petrarca composed
so many works. It is a pleasant spot, fit for such
exercises, and if you read the life which is printed
with his sonnets and triumphs, you will see it
mentioned. So I go there joyfully, in spite of the
long journey to Rosena, which is twenty-five miles
from Correggio and a very remote place. I shall
remain there some days and await the commands of
Your Excellency, whose slave I am for ever."
In July he came to Mantua, and falling ill soon
after his departure, wrote gallantly to his lady : " I
parted with Your Excellency and with my own
health at the same moment." The following May
found him again at Correggio, from which place he
wrote to tell Isabella that he hoped soon to be
allowed to visit the "retreat of the Grotta," to
which his secretary, the accomplished soldier and
poet who went by the name of "II prete di
Correggio," had been lately admitted. "If I am
allowed this favour I shall count myself honoured
indeed, and if you do not let me in, I must reluctantly
confess my inferiority and seek to learn of my
more fortunate servant." A few days afterwards,
Isabella wrote begging him to send her a suitable
motto for Cristoforo's medal. In reply, Niccolo
168 NICCOLO'S LETTERS
suggested the Latin words, Benemerentium causa,
which, however, did not please her, as she had seen
this motto before and desired something entirely
new and original, upon which Niccolo replied, on the
18th of May :—
" It certainly would not do for a lady of so rare
a merit to adopt a motto which had ever been used
by another, although I must own that I had never
seen it before. Nevertheless to please my sovereign
lady I will say Benemerentium ergo, which has the
same meaning as Benemerentium causa. This will
show you how blindly I obey Your Excellency I I
send back your cavalier as quickly as possible, only
grieving that I cannot be with you myself for
another week, as I must go to Milan, — Your servant,
Niccolo da Correggio,
" P.S. — I have thought of two more lines which
I will add, although they are of Uttle worth.
Naturae officium
Gratitudinis studio."
Niccolo met the Marchesa again in the following
spring at Ferrara, where she entertained her father's
guests and presided at the carnival balls and fetes.
After the Moro's faU he fixed his residence once
more at Duke Ercole's court, where he was much
beloved by aU the princes of Este and became a
devoted admirer of Alfonso's second wife, Lucrezia
Borgia. But he stiU owned allegiance to Isabella,
and sent her canzoni and capitoli on the pattern of
his favourite Petrarch's compositions. One sonnet of
his which especially pleased her was composed in
memory of a beautiful youth in Rome, who had
lately died in the arms of his mistress. Isabella on
her part sent him presents of fish from Garda, and
TO ISABELLA 169
when, in 1506, his son Galeazzo married the fair and
accomphshed Ginevra Rangoni she presented the
bride with a splendid clavichord. "Your Excel-
lency," wrote Niccolo from Correggio, " has sent a
most beautiful clavichord to my daughter-in-law, and
has very kindly ordered Domino Philippi to put it in
order. Besides the thanks which my daughter her-
self is sending you, I felt that I must thank you
personally for these favours, for which we cannot be
too grateful. As for the song which you ask me to
select from Petrarch, I have chosen one of those
which I like best, beginning: Si e debole il filo a cui
s^atiene, which seems to me weU suited for your
ptupose, containing verses which must be sung by
tiirn crescendo and diminuendo. With it I send
one of my own songs, composed in a similar metre,
which you can sing to the same tune as the Petrarca
canzone, and also a poem in imitation of Petrarch's
Chiare, dold e fresche acque. Once more I com-
mend myself to your good graces, and am keeping
Domino PhUippi tiU to-morrow," ^
But Isabella was never satisfied, and a few months
later wrote in great distress because her favourite
maid of honour had lately died, and no one could
find the last capitoli and sonnets which Niccolo had
sent her. Fortunately Niccolo, who, as a rule, never
transcribed his verses, was able to supply another copy
of the poem beginning with the words : Non si e
ardito il cor, which the Marchesa especially wished
to read, and with his old gallantry wrote that, old as
he was growing, he was still young enough to dance
with her, and to ride at the ring, and break a lance,
for her sake, in the coming jousts.