contrasts of a violent character and the pursuits of the arts of peace which they displayed.  Poisonings, assassinations, adulteries, imprisonments for life, conspiracies, were by no means uncommon incidents in their tragical history.  And yet under their government Ferrara became the first really modern city in Europe, with well-built streets, a large population, and flourishing trade, attracting wealthy settlers from all parts of Italy.  Nearly all the members of the reigning house were distinguished for their personal attractions and their mental capacities.  They were also notorious for their love of display.  We have books, such as the Antiquities of the House of Este by Muratori, the Chivalries of Ferrara, the Borseid, and the Hecatommiti of Giraldi, which were written almost to order for the purpose of gratifying this vanity.  Borso, the first duke, caused his portrait to be painted in a series of historical representations in one of his principal palaces; Hercules I. kept the anniversary of his accession to the throne by a splendid procession, which was compared to the festival of Corpus Christi; an Order, which had nothing in common with medieval chivalry, called the Order of the Golden Spur, was instituted by his court, and conferred upon those who reflected lustre by their deeds or their literary gifts upon the house of Este; while, to crown all, we read at this day on the tower of the cathedral of Ferrara the dedicatory inscription beginning with “To the god Hercules II.,” which the complaisant inhabitants had put there,—­an apotheosis which reminds us of the worst slavery of imperial Rome under Caligula and Domitian.  Some of the greatest names of Italy, such as Petrarch, Boiardo, Ariosto, the wonderful prodigy Olympia Morata, and the celebrated poetess Vittoria Colonna—­the friend of Michael Angelo—­were connected with this brilliant court.  The well-known French poet Clement Marot fled to it to escape persecution in his native country.  Calvin found a refuge there for some months under the assumed name of Charles d’Heppeville, during which he converted the duchess to the reformed faith.  The father of Tasso visited it when it was at the height of its splendour and renown.  Hercules II., the then reigning prince, son of Lucrezia Borgia, had earned a great reputation for his literary works and patronage of the fine arts; and his wife, the friend of Calvin, the youngest daughter of Louis XII. of France, was even more remarkable for her talents, being equally skilled in the Latin and Greek languages.  This renowned couple drew around them a circle of the most accomplished men and women in Europe, in whose congenial society Bernardo Tasso spent a few months of great enjoyment, delighting all by his wit and social qualities.