XVII. A. Et. 43. A. Pont. VI. his native place, he repaired to Modena, CHAP. where he was appointed preceptor to the young nobles of the family of Rangone, the A. D. 1518. sons of Bianca, daughter of Giovanni Bentivoglio of Bologna; and by her recommendation he was nominated as one of the professors of the celebrated academy of Bologna, from whence he was, however, soon afterwards expelled, in consequence of the dissensions between the family of Bentivoglio and the pontiff Julius II.(a) Having taken an active part in the wars which desolated Italy, and in which he obtained great credit by his military "Sede sub hac non est matri sua filia pellex, "Pone domum celeres ire coegit equos. (a) Bonamini, Memorie di Guid. Postumo. p. 13. XVII. CHAP. military talents, he was, in the year 1510, whilst commanding a troop of Bolognese in A. D 1518. the service of the Bentivoli, made prisoner A. EL. 43. A. Pont. VI. by the papal troops, and committed by Julius II. to close confinement. As Postumo had long been the avowed adversary of the Roman see, and had attacked the character of the pontiff in his writings, he conceived himself on this occasion to be in great danger, and endeavoured to mitigate the anger of the pope in a supplicatory elegiac poem which yet remains, and which probably obtained him his liberty.(a) From this time the life of Postumo appears to have been more tranquil. Having throughout the whole course of his studies paid particular attention to medicine, he was in the year 1510, appointed by the duke of Ferrara, professor of that science and of philosophy in the university of Ferrara, where he remained about six years.(b) This situation he probably quitted for the purpose of superintending the education of Guidubaldo, the (a) Ad Julium Secundum, Pont. ut subjectis et viclis parcat hostibus. Eleg. lib. i. p. 15. A (b) Bonamini, Memorie Istoriche, p. 17. A. Et. 43. the infant son of Francesco Maria duke of Urbino; as it appears, that on the attack made upon the territories of that prince by Leo X. A. D. 1518. Postumo was sent with his young charge to the fortress of S. Leo, as to a place of perfect safety. Of this fortress it has been suggested that Postumo held the chief command, when it was captured in the year 1517, by the joint efforts of the pontifical and Florentine troops; but of this the evidence is too slight to be relied on.(a) It is, however, highly probable that he was here made a prisoner, since we ́ find him in the same year at Rome; but in whatever character he first made his appear ance (a) Bonamini has founded this opinion on the following lines of Postumo, in his Epicedium on the death of his mother: "Creditus hoc cum ipso est saxo mihi regius infans CHAP. XVII. But this is contradicted by the historical evidence of Leoni, who informs us, that the defence of this fortress was intrusted to Sigismondo Varano, who, on account of his youth, was assisted by Bernardino Ubaldino, and Battista da Venafro. Leoni, vita di Fran. Maria Duca D'Urbino, lib. ii. p. 183. et v. ante, vol. iii. chap. xiv. p. 125. CHAP. A. D. 1518. A. Pont. VL A. Et. 43. ance there, it is certain that he was treated by Leo X. with particular attention and kindness, which he has endeavoured to repay by recording the praises of that pontiff in many parts of his works.(a) Among these commendatory pieces, the elegiac poem in which he compares the happiness enjoyed under the pontificate of Leo X. with the wretched state of Italy, under his predecessors Alexander VI. and Julius II. is deserving of particular notice.(b) By the generosity of Leo X. Postumo was enabled to restore his family mansion at Pesaro to its former splendour; a circumstance which he has not failed to record in his writings.(c) In the amusements of the chase, of which Leo so eagerly partook, Postumo was his frequent associate, and one of the (a)" Guido Posthumus, Pisaurensis lepido et comi argutoque ingenio poeta, quum Elegias, et variis numeris "carmina factitaret, in aula LEONIS conspicuus fuit. Pa"tebat enim ea liberaliter, meridianis præsertim horis, quum citharædi cessarent, his omnibus qui eruditæ suavi"tatis oblectamenta ad ciendam hilaritatem intulissent." Jov. Elogia. Ixix. (b) This is already given in the appendix to vol. ii, No. LXXII. (c) v. Appendix, No. CLXVIII. XVII. the most finished poems of this author is de- CHAP. voted to commemorate the various incidents which attended an excursion made by the pontiff to his villa at Palo, for the purpose of enjoying this amusement, on which occasion he was accompanied by the foreign ambassadors and the prelates and nobles of his court.(a) The tranquillity and happiness which Postumo now enjoyed, were, however, interrupted by the infirm state of his health, which some of his contemporaries attributed to the luxurious banquets of which he partook in the pontifical palace,(b) but which others have supposed to have been the effects of his military fatigues, on a constitution naturally weak.(c) In hopes of deriving some advantage from change of air he retired to the pleasant villa of Caprani 、 1 ća, (a) v. Appendix, No. CLXIX. (b) "Præstat nonnihil in Elegis Guidus Posthumus "Pisaurensis; ausus ille aggredi phalacios et heroicos, 66 parum utrumque rectè; sapientiæ et medicinæ studia am"plexatus, nihilo plus quam in poetica profecit, secutus "convivia, et Regum convictus, unde infirmam atque ægram "valetudinem contraxit." Gyrald. de poet. suorum. temp. in Op. ii. 538. (c) Bonamini, Mem. Istoriche, p. 22 A. D. 1518. A. Pont. VI. |