Heroes of Modern Europe

								

And in order that the people might not be excluded from this new
beatitude (a thing which was important to the Magnifico), he composed
and set in order many mythological representations, triumphal cars,
dances, and every kind of festal celebration, to solace and delight
them; and thus he succeeded in banishing from their souls any
recollection of their ancient greatness, in making them insensible to
the ills of the country, in disfranchising and debasing them by means
of temporal ease and intoxication of the senses."
Lorenzo the Magnificent was endowed with charms {34} that were
naturally potent with a beauty-loving people.  He had been very
carefully trained by the prudent Cosimo, so that he excelled in
physical exercises and could also claim a place among the most
intellectual in Florence.  Although singularly ill-favoured, he had
personal qualities which attracted men and women.  He spared no pains
to array himself with splendour whenever he appeared in public.  At
tournaments he wore a costume ornamented with gold and silver thread,
and displayed the great Medicean diamond--Il Libro--on his shield,
which bore the fleur-de-lis of France in token of the friendship
between the Medici and that nation.  The sound of drums and fifes
heralded the approach of Lorenzo the Magnificent, and cheers acclaimed
him victor when he left the field bearing the coveted silver helmet as
a trophy.
Lorenzo worshipped a lady who had given him a bunch of violets as a
token, according to the laws of chivalry.  He wrote sonnets in honour
of Lucrezia Donati, but he was not free to marry her, the great house
of Medici looking higher than her family.  The bride, chosen for the
honour of mating with the ruler of Florence, was a Roman lady of such
noble birth that it was not considered essential that she should bring
a substantial dowry.  Clarice Orsini was dazzled at her wedding-feast
by the voluptuous splendour of the family which she entered.
The ceremony took place at Florence in 1469 and afforded an excuse for
lavish hospitality.  The bride received her own guests in the garden of
the villa where she was to reign as mistress.  Young married women
surrounded her, admiring the costliness of her clothing and preening
themselves in the rich attire which they had assumed for this great
occasion.  In an upper {35} room of the villa the bridegroom's mother
welcomed her own friends of mature years, and listened indulgently to
the sounds of mirth that floated upward from the cloisters of the
courtyard.  Lorenzo sat there with the great Florentines who had
assembled to honour his betrothal.  The feast was served with solemnity
at variance with the wit and laughter that were characteristic of the
gallant company.  The blare of trumpets heralded the arrival of dishes,
which were generally simple.  The stewards and carvers bowed low as
they served the meats; their task was far from light since abundance