Lodovico Quotes

For these reasons Louis the Twelfth, King of France, quickly occupied Milan, and as quickly lost it; and to turn him out the first time it only needed Lodovico's own forces; because those who had opened the gates to him, finding themselves deceived in their hopes of future benefit, would not endure the ill-treatment of the new prince.

Can it be true?'--she cried--'shall I be fain To follow one, that strives to hide and fly? Esteem a man that has me in disdain? Pray him that never hears my supplant cry? Suffer who hates me o'er my heart to reign? One that his lofty virtues holds so high, T'were need some heaven-born goddess should descend From realms above, his stubborn heart to bend? ... Yea: rather of myself I should complain, Than the desire, to which I bared my breast Whereby was Reason hunted from her reign, And all my powers by stronger force opprest. Thus borne from bad to worse, without a rein I cannot the unbridled beast arrest; Who makes me see I to destruction haste, That I bitterness in death may taste. Yet, ah! why blame myself? Wherein have I Ever offended, save in loving thee? What wonder was it then that suddenly A woman's feeble sense opprest should be? Why fence and guard myself, lest bearing high Wise words, and beauty rare should pleasure me? Most wretched is the mortal that would shun To look upon the visage of the sun

In order to take the best precautions possible, the two physicians on the tribunal (the aforementioned Tadino and Senatore Settala, son of the celebrated Lodovico) proposed a ban, with harsh penalties, on the purchase of items of any sort from the soldiers passing through. But it was impossible to make the president of the tribunal understand the need for such an order. “He was a good-hearted man,” wrote Tadino, “who could not believe that so many thousands of people would meet their deaths through commerce with these people and their goods.” I cite this as one of the most remarkable passages of that time. As long as there have been commissions of health, there has never been a president who has made a similar argument, if indeed we can call it an argument.