No More Learning

The cavalier amid that band, whom they
So honour, unless dazzled is mine eye
By those fair faces, is the shining light
Of his Arezzo, and Accolti hight.

XI
Adorned with scarlet hat, and scarlet pall,
His nephew Benedict, lo! there I see;
With him Campeggio and Mantua's cardinal;
Glory and light of the consistory;
And (if I dote not) mark how one and all
In face and gesture show such mighty glee
At my return, no easy task 'twould seem
So vast an obligation to redeem.

XII
With them Lactantius is, Claude Ptolemy,
Trissino, Pansa, and Capilupi mine,
Latino Giovenal, it seems to me;
Sasso, and Molza, and Florian hight Montine;
With him, by whom through shorter pathway we
Are led to the Ascraean font divine,
Julio Camillo; and meseems that I
Berna, and Sanga, and Flaminio spy.

XIII
Lo! Alexander of Farnese, and O
Learned company that follows in his train!
Phaedro, Cappella, Maddalen', Portio,
Surnamed the Bolognese, the Volterrane.
Blosio, Pierio, Vida, famed for flow
Of lofty eloquence of exhaustless vein;
Mussuro, Lascari, and Navagero,
And Andrew Maro, and the monk Severo.

XIV
Lo! two more Alexanders! of the tree
Of the Orologi one, and one Guarino:
Mario d' Olvito, and of royalty
That scourge, divine Pietro Aretino.
I two Girolamos amid them see,
Of Veritade and the Cittadino;
See the Mainardo, the Leoniceno,
Panizzato, Celio, and Teocreno.

XV
Bernardo Capel, Peter Bembo here
I see, through whom our pure, sweet idiom rose,
And who, of vulgar usage winnowed clear,
Its genuine form in his example shows.
Behold an Obyson, that in his rear
Admires the pains which he so well bestows.
I Fracastoro, Bevezzano note,
And Tryphon Gabriel, Tasso more remote.
XVI
Upon me Nicholas Tiepoli
And Nicholas Ammanio fix their eyes;
With Anthony Fulgoso, who to spy
My boat near land shows pleasure and surprise.
There, from those dames apart, my Valery
Stands with Barignan, haply to devise
With him how, evermore by woman harmed,
By her he shall not evermore be charmed.

XVII
Of high and superhuman genius, tied
By love and blood, lo! Pico and Pio true;
He that approaches at the kinsmen's side,
-- So honoured by the best -- I never knew;
But, if by certain tokens signified,
He is the man I so desire to view,
That Sannazaro, who persuades the nine
To leave their fountain for the foaming brine.

XVIII
Diligent, faithful secretary, lo!
The learned Pistophilus, mine Angiar here,
And the Acciajuoli their joint pleasure show
That for my bark there is no further fear.
There I my kinsman Malaguzzo know;
And mighty hope from Adoardo hear,
That these my nest-notes shall by friendly wind
Be blown from Calpe's rock to furthest Ind.

XIX
Joys Victor Fausto; Tancred joys to view
My sail; and with them joy a hundred more.
Women and men I see, a mingled crew,
At my return rejoicing, crowd the shore.
Then, since the wind blows fair, nor much to do
Remains, let me my course delay no more;
And turning to Melissa, in what way
She rescued good Rogero let me say.

XX
Much bent was this Melissa (as I know
I many times have said to you whilere)
That Bradamant in wedlock should bestow
Her hand upon the youthful cavalier;
And so at heart had either's weal and woe,
That she from hour to hour of them would hear:
Hence ever on that quest she spirits sent,
One still returning as the other went.

XXI
A prey to deep and stubborn grief, reclined
Mid gloomy shades Rogero they descried;
Firm not to swallow food of any kind,
Nor from that purpose to be turned aside;
And so to die of hunger he designed:
But weird Melissa speedy aid supplied;
Who took a road, from home forth issuing, where
She met the Grecian emperor's youthful heir;

XXII
Leo that, one by one, dispatched his train
Of followers, far and wide, through every bourn,
And afterwards, in person went in vain,
To find the warrior of the unicorn.
The wise enchantress, that will sell and rein,
Had on that day equipt a demon, borne
By him, in likeness of a hackney horse,
Constantine's son encountered in her course.

XXIII
"If such as your ingenuous mien" (she cried
To Leo) "is your soul's nobility,
And corresponding with your fair outside
Your inward goodness and your courtesy,
Some help, some comfort, sir, for one provide
In whom the best of living knights we see;
Who, save ye help and comfort quickly lend,
Is little distant from his latter end.

XXIV
"The best of knights will die of all, who don,
Or e'er donned sword and buckler, the most fair
And gentle of all warriors that are gone,
Or who throughout the world yet living are,
And simply for a courteous deed, if none
Shall comfort to the youthful sufferer bear.
Then come, sir, for the love of Heaven, and try
If any counsel succour may supply.