New-York tribune., 1902-01-05
NEWYORK TRIBUNE ILLUSTRATED SUPPLEMENT.

of man the author was. we know the detau, :.
his career and we know the scene and tba -
cumstances in which he found his inspirat,0,
The latter are OF such Importance. when We 90,
slider the peculiar character OF The Boob :.
the Courtier," that they may legitimatefv \.
touched upon at the outset Castigllone hirnsal,
discoursing Of "the glorious memory Of Dnk,
Federico" the founder OF the great houss :,
Urbino. has indicated the beauty OF the an,
vlronment in which he was to place the person.
ages OF his composition. He says:
Among his other praiseworthy deeds. he hrr.
on the rugged site of UrbinO palace regarssS
by many as the most beautiful TO be found In an
Italy, and he so well furnished II with sva a.
thing suitable that II seemed not a palace IN,
city In the form of a palace; and not meraI,
with what Is ordinarily USed-Such as sFrs
vases. hanSinSs of richest cloth Of gold and sin
and other similar thingS-but for ornament -
added countless antique statues in marble anS
bronze, pictures most choice and musical tnet-1S
ments Of every sort, nor would he admit anv-
thing there that was not very rare and excellen.
Then at very great cost he collected a qoodl1
number OF most excellent and rare books -
Greek. Latin and Hebrew. all Of which ~
adorned with gold and with silver esteenine
this to be the chiefest excellence OF his greas
palace.
The traveller whose memories OF Raphael q,
the Dukes Of Urbino and OF Castiglione rnov.
on the Adriatic. to the famous little hill town
suffers a momentary disappointment when h.
enters the palace. Time has dealt harshIy with
Duke Federico's wonderful home More than
one facade has been stripped OF It's ancient
glories, and in the vast echo.ng chambers. .the-,
is little beyond an occasional carved doorwav
or mantelpiece tC recall the splendors amid
which one Of the most luxurious courts in n.
history Of the Renaissance moved in DAZZLING
brilliance- But even in it's fallen state N.
palace has the dignity. We may even say tbs
grandeur, which comes from great scale: thosa
vestiges Of the buildings golden age which 70
main are eloquent Of the rare taste which pra
sided over it's creation. and there are alvavz ,b.
surroundings, much the same today "a tbsv
were four hundred years ago. to revive a senss
OF the atmosphere in which Castig.i ione,s nobls
ideas terminated and were fostered From tb.
palace windows the eye may range over ths
beautiful valley of the FogIia in which the tiled
roofs of cottages CLEAN softly amid the siIyery
dust Of olive trees and the rich green OF pros-
porous vineyards. Hill and valley. bathed in
the bland Italian air. make one Of the IoveIiest
pictures in the world Here CastigIione the som
Of a Mantuan soldier. came in the early autumn
Of 1904 to enter the service OF Duke GuidobaIdo:
here he fell respectfully in love with the most
gracious OF dIchesses; here he shared in the
social pleasures OF court in which art and
letters no less than chivalry and statesman
ship were freely hOnored. and here he turned
over in his mind the thoughts on the ideal
gentleman which he embodied in an immortal
book First and last he led q Life OF some
trouble Sent on more than one ambassadoriaI
enterprise he was often ground. as was not un-
common in those days. between the upper and
the neither milstones- He was again and again
most Uncomfortably enmeshed in the political
entdnglements of his time When he died at
Toledo. in 1929. it with the embittering
consciousness that on the mission from Pope