OF THE STATE OF EUROPE.
disposition severe and sad, rather than manly and gr.ivr ; no princely port or behaviour more than a ^rrat justicer; inclined to peace, and gathering money. All Tuscany is subject unto him, where in were divers commonwealths ; whereof the j chief were Florence, Siena, and Pisa, Prato, and Pistoia, saving Lucca, and certain forts on the sea-coast, held by the King of Spain. He retaineth in his service few, and they stran gers, to whom he giveth pensions. In all his sitadels he hath garrison of Spaniards, except at Siena : in housekeeping spendeth little, being as it were in pension, agreeing for so much the year with a citizen of Florence for his diet: he has a small guard of Swissers, and when he rideth abroad a guard of forty light-horsemen. The mi litia of his country amounteth to forty thousand soldiers, to the which he granteth leave to wear their weapons on the holydays, and other immu nities. Besides, he entertaineth certain men of arms, to the which he giveth seven crowns the month. He also maintaineth seven galleys, the which serve under his knights, erected by his father in Pisa, of the order of St. Stephano : of these galleys three go every year in chase. His common exercise is in distillations, and in trying of conclusions, the which he doth exer cise in a house called Cassino in Florence, where he spendeth the most part of the day; giving ear in the mean season to matters of affairs and con ferring with his chief officers. His revenues are esteemed to amount to a million and a half of crowns, of the which spending half a million, he layeth up yearly one million. But certainly he is the richest prince in all Europe of coin. The form of his government is absolute, depend ing only of his will and pleasure, though re taining in many things the ancient officers and show. But those magistrates resolve nothing without his express directions and pleasure. Privy council he useth none, but reposeth much his trust on sound secretaries, and conferreth chiefly with his wife, as his father did with one of his secretaries. For matter of examinations, one Corbolo hath the especial trust ; he doth favour the people more than the nobility, because they do bear an old grudge to the gentlemen, and the people are the more in number, without whom the nobility can do nothing. One thing in him giveth great contentment to the subjects, that he vouchsafeth to receive and hear all their petitions himself. And in his absence from Florence, those that have suit do resort to the offices, and there exhibit their bill endorsed ; whereof within three days absolute answers is returned them, unless the matter be of great importance, then have they directions how to proceed. He is a great jus ticer ; and for the ease of the people, and to have the better eye over justice, hath built hard by his palace a fair row of houses for all offices to gether in one place. Two years sithence he married la Signoia Bi- anca, his concubine, a Venetian of Casa Capelli. whereby he entered straiter amity with the Vene tians: with the pope he had good intelligence, and some affinity by the marriage of Signoi Ja- como, the pope s son, in Casa Sforza. To the emperor he is allied, his first wife bejiig the Emperor Maximilian s sister. With Spain he is in strait league, and his mother was of the house of Toledo ; his brother likewise, D. Pietro, married in the same house. With France he standeth at this present in some misliking. With Ferrara always at jar, as with all the Dukes of Italy, for the preseance in some contro versy. All his revenues arise of taxes and customs ; hia domains are very small. He hath by his first wife one son, of the age of four or five years, and four daughters ; he hath a base child by this woman, and a base brother, D. Joanni, sixteen years of age, of great ex pectation. Two brothers, D. Pietro, and the cardinal. The Duke of Ferrara, Alfonso d Este, the fifth duke, now about forty years of age ; his first wife Lucretia, daughter to Cosmo de Medici, whom they say he poisoned ; his second, daughter to Ferdinand the emperor ; his third wife, now liv ing, Anne daughter to the Duke of Mantua. H hath no child. The chief cities of his state are Ferrara, Modena, and Reggio : he is rich in money, growing as the most of Italy, of exactions ; of all the princes of Italy alone inclineth to the French ; with the pope hath some jar about the passage of a river. The Venetians and he fall in great ha tred ; with Florence hath enmity : with Lucca little skirmishes every year for a castle he build- eth on their confines, to raise a great to.l in a strait passage, by reason of his mother, a Guise. William, of the house of Gonsaga, the third Duke of Mantua; his wife Barbara, daughter to the Emperor Ferdinand, by whom he hath a son of twenty-two years of age, and a daughter. His son is called Vincentio, his daughter Anne, mar ried of late to the Duke of Ferrara; his son like wise married a year sithence to the Prince of Parma s daughter. The duke his self very de formed and crook-backed, well in years, Mont- ferrat likewise appertaineth to him. Divers of his house have pension always, and serve the King of Spain ; his brother, the Duke of Nevers, re- maineth in France. He only seeketh to maintain his estate and enrich himself; his greatest plea sure is in horses and building. The Duke of Urbin, Francesco Maria, of the house of Rovere, the second of that name, a princt of good behaviour and witty. In his state are seven reasonable fair cities; Pesaro, Auguoio, Sinigaglia, Fossombrone, Sanleo, Cagli, Urbmc j 8x9
