The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-20

and servants In the palace. Lodovico early
gave signs Of the love of literature, and
OF the great abilities which distng uished
him In after life. His quickness in learning
by heart, his extraordinary memory and
the duency with which he wrote and spoke
Latin amazed his teachers. He was fort.
innate in receiving an excellent education
from the first Greek scholars of the day.
His mother. however. the only daughter
Of the last Visconti. cautioned her sons
tutor. the learned Filelfo. to remember
| that I'VE have Princes to educate, not
merely scholar
Lodovico Sforxa has generally been de-
scribed az one Of the blackest figures of the
Italian Renaissance. Born for the ruin Of
Italy" was the verdict of his contemporary
Paolo Giovio. verdict which every chron.
icler OF the sixteenth century Endorsed.
These men, who witnessed the disasters
which foreigners brought upon their coun-
try, could not forget that Charles VIII. tho
first French King who in modern times in.
vaded Italy. had crossed the Alps as the
friend and ally Of Lodovco Moro. They
forgot how many other Italians were at
least equally guilty. and paid but little heed
to the network Of intrigues in which Pope
Julius H., the Venetian Signory, and the
King of Naples, all had share. Later hiss
torians, as we have said, adopted Paoo
Giovio's view. and made Lodovico RESPONSE
BILE for all the miseries which followed the
French invasion The bitter hatred with
which both French and Venetian writer's
regarded the Prince who had foiled their
countrymen, Drofted by their mistakes.
holroI 10 Il ba c;r
The greatest crimes were imputed to him,
and the vilest calumnies concerning his per-
sonal character found ready acceptance.
The more impartial judgment of modern
historians however, together with the light
thrown upon the subject by recently discov-
cred documents, has done much to modify
the current opinion concerning Lodovico's
character. The worst charge brought
against him. the alleged poisoning of his
nephew. the reigning Duke of Milan, has
been dismissed az groundless and as wholly
alien to his character. On the other hand,
his great merits as ruler and administrator
are now fully recognized, and it is admitted
on all hands that his generous and enlight-
ened encouragement Of art and letters en-
titles him to place among the most illus
trious patrons of the Renaissance. To his
personal suggestion and liberality are due
the grandest monuments of Lombard archi-
lecture and the finest development Of Milan
csc painting the facade of the Certosa at
Pavia and the cupola of Santa Maria dele
Giraffe; the frescos and altar pieces of the
Brera and the Ambrosiana. Above ALL it
was at the Milanese court, under the stim-
ulating influence of the Moro, that Leonardo
da Vmci's finest work was done.
There is no doubt that Lodovico Sforza
considered as a man. and apart from his
relation to politics, is profoundly inter-
esting. Burckhardt has called him the
most complete among the princely figures
of the Italian Renaissance. and it is certain
that, alike in his virtues and in his faults,
he was curiously typical OF The age in which
he lived. Guicciardini, who was no friend
to him, but saw in him the invetera foe OF
Florence, describes him as "a preacher OF
very rare perfection, most excellent for
his eloquence and industry and many gifts
Of spirit, and not unworthy the name OF
mild and merciful" The Milanaise doc
tor, Arluno, the author of an unpublished
chronicle in the Bibioteca Marciana Al
Venice says: "He had sublime soul
and universal capacity. Whatever he did.
he surpassed expectation, in the fine arts
and learning. in justice and benevolence.
He had no equal among Italian Princes
for wisdom and sagacity in public affairs
Contemporary writer's depict him as very
pleasant in manner and gracious in speech.
always gentle and courteous to others,
ready TO listen, and never losing his temper
in argument. What may be said for and
against him from an hical point of view
ia thus summed up in the book before Us:
He shared in the laxity of morals common
to his age; but he was a man of deep az
fections as well as strong passions, fondy
attached to his children and friends. and
the profound and lasting grief with which
he lamented the loss of his wife amazed
his more tickle contemporaries. Sim
gularly refined and sensitive by nature
he shrank inst inctively from bloodsled
and had a horror of all violent actions.
Herein he differed greatly from his elder
brother, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, who was
a monster OF lust and cruelty, intent Only
on gratifying his savage instincts, and a.
callous to human suffering as he was reck
less of human life. Lodovico. as his most
hostile critics agree, was emphatically not
cruel man, and rarely consented 10 con-
denim even criminals to death. Like many
her polit cians, however, who have great
ends in view he was often unscrupulous
az to the means which he employed, aud
would probably have been surprised AZ
being held responsible for the methods Iy
which he attained his objects"
Our author goes on to note that, TRAINED
from early youth in the most tortlous
paths of Italian diplomacy Lodovico acted
on the principle laid down by the Venetian
Marine San,to. that the first duty Of the
really wise statesman is to persuade hl-
enemies that he means TO do one thing,
and then do another. In these tangled
paths. however, he often overreaclod
himself and only succeeded in inspiring
all parties with distrust; and, as often
happens. the deceiver was deceived in
his turn, and. in the end, betrayed by men
in whom his whole trust had been placed
Another curious feature of Lodovico's char
acter was the strain Of moral cowardice,
which, in spite of great physical bravery.
marked his public actions at the most
critical conjunctures. This sudden failure
Of moral courage, or loss of nerve. that
to his contemporaries seemed little short
Of madness, absolutely inexplicable in
a man who had faced death unfiinchinglv