Maitland Club > Works of Sir Thomas Urquhart

228 eksktbaaatpon:
that came to behold his gallantry, he carryed away the ring fifteen times on end, and
broke as many lances on the Saracen.
When for a quarter of a yeer together he after this manner had disported himself,
what martially, what scholastically, with the best qualified men in any faculty so ever,
that so large a city, which is called the world's abridgement, was able to afford, and
now and then solaced these his more serious recreations, for all was but sport to him,
with the alluring imbellishments of the tendrer sexe, whose inamorato that he might
be was their ambition ; he on a sudden took resolution to leave the Court of France
and return to Italy, where he had been bred for many yeers together ; which designe
he prosecuting within the space of a moneth, without troubling himself with long
journeys, he arrived at the Court of Mantua, where immediately after his abord, as
hath been told already, he fought the memorable combat whose description is above
related. Here was it that the learned and valiant Crichtoun was pleased to cast anchor
and fix his abode ; nor could he almost otherwise do, without disobliging the Duke,
and the Prince his eldest son ; by either whereof he was so dearly beloved, that none
of them would permit him by any means to leave their Court, whereof he was the
only privado, the object of all men's love, and subject of their discourse ; the example
of the great ones, and wonder of the meaner people ; the paramour of the female sexe,
and paragon of his own. In the glory of which high estimation having resided at that
Court above two whole yeers, the reputation of gentlemen there was hardly other-
wayes valued but by the measure of his acquaintance ; nor were the young unmaryed
ladies, of all the most eminent places thereabouts, any thing respected of one another,
that had not either a lock of his hair, or copy of verses of his composing. Neverthe-
less it happening on a Shrove-tuesday at night, at which time it is in Italy very cus-
tomary for men of great sobriety, modesty, and civil behaviour all the rest of the yeer,
to give themselves over on that day of carnavale, as they call it, to all manner of riot,
drunkenness, and incontinency, which that they may do with the least imputation they
can to their credit, they go maskt and mum'd with vizards on their faces, and in the
disguise of a Zanni or Pantaloon to ventilate their fopperies, and sometimes intolerable
enormities, without suspicion of being known, that this ever renowned Crichtoun, who,
in the afternoon of that day, at the desire of my Lord Duke, the whole court striving
which should exceed other in foolery, and devising of the best sports to excite laugh-
ter ; neither my Lord, the Dutchess, nor Prince, being exempted from acting their
parts, as well as they could, upon a theater set up for the purpose, begun to prank it,
a la Venetiana, with such a flourish of mimick and ethopoetick gestures, that all the
courtiers of both sexes, even those that a little before that were fondest of their own
conceits, at the sight of his so inimitable a garb, from ravishing actors that they were
before, turned then ravished spectators. O with how great liveliness did he represent
the conditions of all manner of men ! how naturally did he set before the eyes of the
beholders the rogueries of all professions, from the overweening monarch to the peevish