PIETRO ARETINO.
Aretino's Place in Italian Literature and Society--His Birth and
Boyhood--Goes to Rome--In the Service of Agostino Chigi--At
Mantua--Gradual Emergence into Celebrity--The Incident of Giulio
Romano's Postures--Giovanni delle Bande Nere--Aretino settles at
Venice--The Mystery of his Influence--Discerns the Power of the
Press--Satire on the Courts--Magnificent Life--Aretino's Wealth--His
Tributary Princes--Bullying and Flattery--The Divine Aretino--His
Letter to Vittoria Colonna--To Michelangelo--His Admiration of
Artists--Relations with Men of Letters--Epistle to Bernardo Tasso--His
Lack of Learning--Disengagement from Puristic Prejudices--Belief in
his own Powers--Rapidity of Composition--His Style--Originality and
Independence--Prologue to _Talanta_--Bohemian Comrades--Niccolo
Franco--Quarrel with Doni--Aretino's Literary Influence--His
Death--The Anomaly of the Renaissance--Estimate of Aretino's Character
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