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VII.
I.
Forasmuch as I beleve that after
death, al men maie be praised without charge, al occasion and
suspecte of flatterie beyng taken awaie, I shal not doubte to
praise our Cosimo Ruchellay, whose name was never remembred of me
without teares, havyng knowen in him those condicions, the whiche
in a good frende or in a citezien, might of his freendes, or of his
countrie, be desired: for that I doe not knowe what thyng was so
muche his, not excepting any thing (saving his soule) which for his
frendes willingly of him should not have been spent: I knowe not
what enterprise should have made him afraide, where the same should
have ben knowen to have been for the benefite of his countrie. And
I doe painly confesse, not to have mette emongest so many men, as I
have knowen, and practised withal, a man, whose minde was more
inflamed then his, unto great and magnificent thynges. Nor he
lamented not with his frendes of any thyng at his death, but
because he was borne to die a yong manne within his owne house,
before he had gotten honour, and accordynge to his desire, holpen
any manne: for that he knewe, that of him coulde not be spoken
other, savyng that there should be dead a good freende. Yet it
resteth not for this, that we, and what so ever other that as we
did know him, are not able to testifie (seeyng his woorkes doe not
appere) of his lawdable qualities. True it is, that fortune was not
for al this, so muche his enemie, that it left not some brief
record of the readinesse of his witte, as doeth declare certaine of
his writinges, and settyng foorthe of amorous verses, wherin
(although he were not in love) yet for that he would not consume
time in vain, til unto profounder studies fortune should have
brought him, in his youthfull age he exercised himselfe. Whereby
moste plainly maie be comprehended, with how moche felicitie he did
describe his conceiptes, and how moche for Poetrie he should have
ben estemed, if the same for the ende therof, had of him ben
exercised. Fortune having therfore deprived us from the use of so
great a frende, me thinketh there can bee founde no other remedie,
then as muche as is possible, to seke to enjoye the memorie of the
same, and to repeate suche thynges as hath been of him either
wittely saied, or wisely disputed. And for as much as there is
nothyng of him more freshe, then the reasonyng, the whiche in his
last daies Signior Fabricio Collonna, in his orchard had with him,
where largely of the same gentilman were disputed matters of warre,
bothe wittely and prudently, for the moste parte of Cosimo
demaunded, I thought good, for that I was present there with
certain other of our frendes, to bring it to memorie, so that
reading the same, the frendes of Cosimo, whiche thether came, might
renewe in their mindes, the remembraunce of his vertue: and the
other part beyng sorie for their absence, might partly learne
hereby many thynges profitable, not onely to the life of
Souldiours, but also to civil mennes lives, which gravely of a
moste wise man was disputed. Therfore I saie, that Fabricio
Collonna retournyng out of Lombardie, where longe time greatly to
his glorie, he had served in the warres the catholike kyng, he
determined, passyng by Florence, to rest himself certain daies in
the same citee, to visite the Dukes excellencie, and to see
certaine gentilmen, whiche in times paste he had been acquainted
withal. For whiche cause, unto Cosimo it was thought beste to bid
him into his orchard, not so muche to use his liberalitee, as to
have occasion to talke with him at leasure, and of him to
understande and to learne divers thinges, accordyng as of suche a
man maie bee hoped for, semyng to have accasion to spende a daie in
reasonyng of suche matters, which to his minde should best satisfie
him. Then Fabricio came, accordyng to his desire, and was received
of Cosimo together, with certain of his trustie frendes, emongest
whome wer Zanoby Buondelmonti, Baptiste Palla, and Luigi Allamanni,
all young men loved of him and of the very same studies moste
ardente, whose good qualities, for as muche as every daie, and at
every houre thei dooe praise themselves, we will omit. Fabricio was
then accordyng to the time and place honoured, of all those
honours, that thei could possible devise: But the bankettyng
pleasures beyng passed, and the tabel taken up, and al preparacion
of feastinges consumed, the which are sone at an ende in sight of
greate men, who to honorable studies have their mindes set, the
daie beyng longe, and the heate muche, Cosimo judged for to content
better his desire, that it wer well doen, takyng occasion to avoide
the heate, to bring him into the moste secret, and shadowest place
of his garden. Where thei beyng come, and caused to sit, some upon
herbes, some in the coldest places, other upon litle seates which
there was ordeined, under the shadow of moste high trees, Fabricio
praiseth the place, to be delectable, and particularly consideryng
the trees, and not knowyng some of them, he did stande musinge in
his minde, whereof Cosimo beeyng a ware saied, you have not
peradventure ben acquainted with some of these sortes of trees: But
doe not marvell at it, for as muche as there bee some, that were
more estemed of the antiquitie, then thei are commonly now a daies:
and he tolde him the names of them, and how Barnardo his
graundfather did travaile in suche kinde of plantyng: Fabricio
replied, I thought it shuld be the same you saie, and this place,
and this studie, made me to remember certaine Princes of the
Kyngdome of Naples, whiche of these anncient tillage and shadow doe
delight. And staiyng upon this talke, and somewhat standyng in a
studdie, saied moreover, if I thought I should not offende, I woud
tell my opinion, but I beleeve I shall not, commonyng with
friendes, and to dispute of thynges, and not to condemne them. How
much better thei should have doen (be it spoken without displeasure
to any man) to have sought to been like the antiquitie in thinges
strong, and sharpe, not in the delicate and softe: and in those
that thei did in the Sunne, not in the shadowe: and to take the
true and perfecte maners of the antiquitie: not those that are
false and corrupted: for that when these studies pleased my
Romaines, my countrie fell into ruin. Unto which Cosimo answered.
But to avoide the tediousnesse to repeate so many times he saied,
and the other answered, there shall be onely noted the names of
those that speakes, without rehersing other.