Castiglione

In the autumn of 1513, while Niccolo Machiavelli was writing The Prince, Castiglione was working, in the intervals of his official duties in Rome, on The Courtier. Of all the Medici, Giuliano was the most sympathetic to Castiglione. In the prince of courtiers Castiglione saw the making of a courtly prince; he had the first requisite of both a courtier and a prince: he listened well. Castiglione vainly attempted to make plausible excuses for his conduct in Rome; the Pope was highly incensed and imputed this change of front to French influence; nor did the Duke do anything to discourage this impression. In the intervals of her visits, her gentlemen, Castiglione, Luigi Gonzaga, and Alberto Carpi, took up the theme, harping now on the sentimental, now on the legal, now on the personal, now on the pastoral, sides of the question; but Leo eluded them all.