well and improving every day, which rejoices me. I think thou must
wish for news of Cosimo. Some days ago he had a bad attack of plague.
He is ill in bed, but this time he has escaped and now the fever is
slight. I hear that thou hast bought the quilts and the ticking, which
is well done. If thou wouldst like to send them to Careggi, I [will
keep them][70] until thy return. Do as thou wilt. The other family
is quite well. It seems to me a thousand years until thy return,
and I hear no rumour of it; I do not know how long thy absence will
last, which is a grief to me. I say no more at present. May God guard
thee.--In Florence on the 21st day June 1459.
Mona Contessina.[71]
Cosimo de’ Medici _to his son_ Giovanni _at the Baths of Petriolo_
The men who brought back the horses gave us thy letters, and told us
of thy safe arrival, thanks be to God. We have heard nothing from thee
since, nor how the baths agree with thee; we should be glad to have
news often from thee to say how thou art, so do not omit to cause some
one to write often. Here by the grace of God we are all very well and
are preparing a fine feast at Careggi for the day of S. Cosimo. In
three days we expect Guglielmo de’ Pazzi,[72] for Lorenzo has gone
with his tutor to Cafaggiuolo, where he was expected. Be diligent in
doing all that is necessary, and come back as soon as thou canst.
Be not remiss in what thou art there for, and be careful to take
thy baths properly, so that they may be beneficial. Christ guard
thee.--Careggi, September 1459.
Cosimo de’ Medici.[73]
Contessina de’ Medici _to her son_ Giovanni _and his_ _wife_ Ginevra
_at Bagno a Morba_
Dearest Children,--We have received your letters, which have given us
great pleasure and relief, seeing that thou art better and that the
improvement continues; may it please God that it shall continue, in
order to give these two old people joy and consolation whilst they
still live. It has been reported to thee that Cosimo and Piero have
been ill; this annoys me, for I did not wish anything to sadden thee,
so that the baths might have their proper effect. Their illness was
but slight. Cosimo had a cold, which was soon cured, and he is now
well; Piero had some pain, which is not yet gone; but you both know
what always happens, so he will soon be well also. Cosimo has put an
end to the worry of being one of the Eight, and Pier Francesco has
been named in his stead: this might also be done for thee. I should be
glad, Ginevra, to hear from thee how the baths act and how Mona Nanna
serves thee. If I can do aught for thee here, tell me. Mona Pippa has
the ailment thou knowest of, the others of thy party are well.--At
Careggi on the 28th day of August 1460.
Thy Contessina.[74]
The last few years of Cosimo’s life were clouded by ill-health and
suffering, and the knowledge that the growing arrogance and rapacity
of his party, the Palleschi, were to a great extent alienating the
affection and the esteem of the citizens from his house. Then the death
in 1461 of Cosimino, the only child of Giovanni and Ginevra de’ Medici,
was a bitter grief to his grandparents, whose especial pet the little
boy had been. Two years later Giovanni himself died, and the old man
sadly exclaimed that the palace in Via Larga was now far too large for
so small a family. He had always counted on the help Giovanni would
give to his elder brother Piero, who was crippled with gout, and his
death at the early age of forty-six was a blow from which Cosimo never
rallied.
Pope Pius II. _to_ Cosimo de’ Medici
Beloved Son,--Peace and apostolic blessing. The news we have just
received of the death of your son, Giovanni of blessed memory, has
grieved us deeply, not only because it is in itself untimely, but
also because we fear it is likely to prove hurtful to a man of your
age and infirmity. Yours is a life that should be prolonged in the
sweetness of the Spirit, and you ought at all times to find comfort.
Our own consolation is that you are wise, that you are well versed in
the chances of fortune and able to hold your feelings in restraint. We
urge you then, Cosimo, to do this, and looking towards God, to bless
Him and to trust that all is for the best. We are ignorant of His
secrets; He alone knows our needs and our true advantage. Let us then
have faith that we and your son have been dealt with in gentleness,
for neither you nor he could foresee the future. We look to your lofty
nature, my son, to continue bearing God’s will in this with patience,
even as we hear you do bear it, without giving way to grief. Mourning
accords not with your age; it is contrary to your health, and we
ourselves, your native city, and all Italy, require that your life
should be as far as possible prolonged. Let good works and acts of
piety be your tribute to your son’s memory. Anything else would be
inconsistent with your nature; deeds of charity, devotion, and prayer
are their own reward. This brief letter is written to acquaint you
with our grief, and to assure you of our solicitude. Let these few
words be counted for our affection.--Given at S. Peter’s, in Rome,
under the ring of the Fisherman, on the 1st day of November 1463, in
the 6th year of our pontificate.[75]
Cosimo de’ Medici _to_ Pope Pius II.
Most blessed Father,--The power and wisdom of the words you wrote made
me feel, while I read them, that I was veritably listening to the
consoling voice of Him whose true Vicar you are. Nothing more sweet,
nothing more saintly, or even divine, could have been written. And
your consolation had this effect: I have always thought it expedient
and praiseworthy to control (for I could not quench) my grief; but
now, most blessed Father, to act contrary to your advice would seem
to me positively sinful. I therefore strive to the best of my power,
and so far as my weak spirit will permit, to bear this great calamity
with calmness. To me it appeared a calamity; but God alone knows what
is truly a misfortune, and we, as you write so wisely and devoutly,
are ignorant of it. Yet I never thought it was not well with my son
Giovanni, for I remembered that he had gone forth, not from life, but
into life from death. For this, which we call life, is death, and
that is the true life which is everlasting. And I recognised that the
only suffering his death brought with it was ours, who truly must
needs miss him. Yet we know not for what to pray. I trust that God
in the abundance of His mercy will pity us that are left behind; for
the Lord is gentle and full of mercy. But for my own life, I count
it happy, because the Supreme Pontiff, the Vicar of Christ, has been
thoughtful on its account. I will indeed take care of it; but not for
the reasons which you, in your more than human kindness, have put
forward. For what is my power now worth? What worth has it ever had?
Nay, my purpose in caring for my life is that I may be found not to
have despised this precious gift of God, nor to have forgotten the
mercies which I have received from the divine love. I ask of you, most
blessed Father, that your Holiness offer a prayer for me, your son, to
God, that I may have strength to achieve this.--[1463].[76]
On 3rd November 1463 Pius II. wrote again to Cosimo, to ask him to
induce Florence to aid him, by equipping two galleys for his projected
crusade against the Turks. Cosimo’s answer is most respectful and very
wary.
Cosimo de’ Medici _to_ Pius II.
Cosimo greets the Supreme Pontiff.
Most blessed Father,--I received your Holiness’ letter a few days
ago, a letter full of grandeur and dignity, whose wisdom, as no one
can doubt, could have proceeded from none but your Holiness. Me, at
any rate, it so affected that after reading it several times I became
convinced that such speech was beyond the common use of men, and was
indeed none other than what might seem to be written at the dictation
of that truly divine Spirit which spoke in the saints of old. When
you speak of the insecurity of man’s lot, who would not straightway
be moved by the power of your eloquence to despise all that is human?
And when you solemnly tell of our immortal life to come, can any be
so dull and leaden that he would not feel exalted, as he reads, so as
to gain a vision, even here, of the glory of his own immortality and
be inspired by a wonderful longing to attain it? And your deeds are
no less holy than your words. I say nothing of what you have achieved
in the past, saintly though it is and worthy of sacred remembrance.
But with regard to the enterprise which you are now preparing, is it
possible, most blessed Father, to believe that you, who are Christ’s
Vicar, are attempting it without the presence within you of Him whose
representative you are? The task is one so novel and so marvellous,
that without God’s impulse and support to your age and infirmity the
undertaking would seem doomed to fail. That I suppose is the reason
why some people regard it, as you say in your letter, with amazement
and disapproval. But I ask you, most blessed Father, whether it is
not indeed a matter for wonder that a man like you, whose years and
feeble health make their own claim to a life of ease and repose,
should embark on the exertions of travel and all the hardships of
war. It is natural, then, that the well-wishers of the Christian
Commonwealth, the friends of peace in Italy, and all who desire the
true and righteous tranquillity of kingdoms and the permanence of
the Christian sway, should behold these difficulties and dangers
with dread. They look upon your virtue as a gift clearly sent by God
for the healing of human ills; they love the Roman Church and care
for the integrity and happiness of Christendom; and they regard your
safety as their security for all these. It must needs be that they are
alarmed by your undertaking such difficulties and your exposure to
such dangers, seeing that they do not possess your wisdom nor are they
supported by the divine breath which inspires you. But though they do
not see that which is before the eyes of your greater wisdom, perhaps
since they wish only for what may be best for you and most beneficial
for your flock, they do not deserve so much blame for disapproving
an enterprise which to their limited apprehension appears so great
and so difficult. You, most blessed Father, whom God will guide to
victory even as He has brought you thus far, will persevere in spite
of it all. Nor will the faith of Peter whose seat you occupy fail you.
The end of this undertaking, which you begin so splendidly, will be
to the glory of God and the joy and felicity of all that are yours,
even though its initial stage be difficult and laborious. Behold the
faithful shepherd offers his life for his sheep.
I now come to the summons which you address to me and the invitation
to join you in this beneficent and glorious enterprise. There you
write to me not as a private man who is satisfied with the mediocre
dignity of a citizen, but as though I were a reigning prince, and your
exhortation is so kind that I find myself unable to thank you as I
would wish. For though all through my life God’s kindness and bounty
has showered upon me much more of human goods than I ever deserved,
whereof you most eloquently adduce examples, yet by the grace of Him
who is the giver of all that is good, I have never been oblivious of
my humble lot. You, however, most blessed Father, in your superhuman
kindness write to me in terms of moderation and in the form of a
request, whereas it would be your right to urge, nay to command.
But the things you ask of me, most blessed Father, are not of the same
nature; as to the first, to procure you a vote of assistance from our
city, well you know how limited is the power of a private citizen in
a free state under popular government. Nevertheless I am ready to
exert my influence, such as it is, in this direction, and will do so
to the best of my ability, even as I have done hitherto; I will try to
arrange that your interests should be consulted, for your interests
are ours and those of the common cause of all Christians. This city
of ours has never yet remained behind in any glorious undertaking;
but has often by her own choice taken upon herself enormous expenses,
difficulties, and dangers, for the defence and dignity of the Roman
Pontiff. Therefore I do not believe that she will now hold aloof when
you summon her to take part in this enterprise which is pious and
necessary and to the common interest of us all.
Personally, from my own resources I can promise you something more
definite; that is to say I promise you, not indeed to equip two
galleys (which would be an undertaking for a prince not for a private
man), but to assist you so far as the limitations of my resources
permit. I am not the man to imagine that the gifts of fortune which
I possess are the deserved rewards of my business forethought, or of
any virtue on my part, or that I have gained them by my human work
or my industry, no, I am convinced they are but the gifts of a most
bountiful God. If God, who is Himself the giver of all good things,
either now or at any other time claims any part of it back, I should
deserve to be deemed most ungrateful and impious if I grudged to
return what He gave ungrudgingly; but especially now, when such a
reward is promised me, which he, who in truth can loose and bind, puts
before me.
Be bold therefore, most blessed Father, in the cause of Christendom,
persevere with energy and confidence, and bring the matter to an end.
Be convinced, since God inspires you, that opportune assistance will
not be wanting. And at last, when you have scattered the barbarous
foes of the Christian name, when your sheep are defended and their
fold protected, not only will mankind ever remember to honour in you
the father and the shepherd, but when in the end God recalls you to
His heaven, whence you have now been sent down as His Vicar, you will
live in unceasing heavenly joy, having as it were gloriously served
your term of divine office.[77]
Lucrezia was as anxious about the physical well-being of her children
as about their education. Some months before Cosimo died she was at
Pisa with Giuliano, who was ill, and she writes to her husband:
Lucrezia de’ Medici _to her husband_ Piero
I write thee several letters on the same day so that should one go
astray thou wilt have news of Giuliano as thou desirest, by any one
going there. Yesterday I wrote that as he was better I did not think
the change suggested by Messer Mariotti was necessary, and last night
I told thee the fever had returned as usual. My last letter was
written at seven. After that he did not rest so quietly as on other
nights, and he seems to me more uneasy than he should be now that the
fever has diminished. I wish thee to know every small change so that
thou canst the better judge what Maestro Mariotto writes; and act, not
according to my ideas, but as thou thinkest best after reading our
reports. His pulse is good, all functions are natural. The fever has
returned almost as strong as on the fourteenth day, and has lowered
but little. He is not so lively during the day as I could wish, being
weakened by the strength of the fever. The Maestro says this is caused
by the nature of the phlegm which is in him. I wish thee to know this.
But do not be anxious, for Giuliano is strong; he walks about the
room, and, though pale, is of good complexion. I give thee all these
details more for thy information than because Giuliano seems to me
ill, or that the amelioration does not continue. I commend myself to
thee.--The 24th November 1463 at the 16th hour.
Thy Lucrezia at Pisa.
At this moment Giuliano is awake, and the Maestro says he has never
found him so free from fever, and that during convalescence people are
always more uneasy. Dost thou understand?[78]
Cosimo de’ Medici _to his son_ Piero _at Pisa_
Yesterday we received yours of the 19th, by which we see you are all
well. This is most pleasing to us, also that the town is healthy and
that you are taking good care of Giuliano who is well. Again we beg of
you to see that he takes care of himself. We have also received the
letters from Bruges and all my other letters which you had, all shall
be answered.
I note that you will write to Niccolò in a few days, when the farm
of Piero da Gagliano will be taken over. The sooner this is done the
better, as the creditors have begun to get restless, that is Giovanni
Rucie ...[79] to whom I have notified that he is to stop proceedings,
as he will be paid before the end of the month.
The plague here has abated, and no one mentions it any longer. The
cold weather with snow and ice in these last days has put an end to
it, so for the present we are all well. Day by day you shall have
news how things go. Yester evening it began to rain, and is much
milder.
By the grace of God Contessina and I are very well, and so are Bianca
and Gugliemo and the little Contessina. They come to us often to
keep us company. To-morrow morning we shall get a letter from the
Signori here to the Consuls [of the Sea][80] at Pisa, in order that
you may cut the wood for the galleys that are to be built. This is a
favourable moon for felling trees.
Ruberto is dangerously ill, there is small hope of his recovery. God
help him. For this reason none of his brothers can go to help about
the wood for the galleys.
Thy companions here will write and send their letters by a horseman
and....[81] We do this so that you may have frequent news. Christ
guard thee.--Florence, January 23, 1463 (1464).
Cosimo de’ Medici.[82]
The following document shows that Francesco Sforza realised how much he
owed to Cosimo de’ Medici. When on the death of Filippo Maria Visconti
in 1447 Milan declared herself a Republic, popular feeling in Florence
ran high in her favour. It needed all Cosimo’s authority and influence
to induce his fellow-citizens to assist Sforza in seizing supreme
power. Cosimo saw that as a republic Milan would inevitably fall a prey
to Venice, and thus the communications of Italy with the North would
be cut off. A strong ruler who owed his crown to Florence would be an
invaluable ally, and preserve the balance of power in Italy. We shall
see that Piero faithfully carried out his father’s policy.
Francesco Sforza, _Duke of Milan_, _&c._ _&c._
As we have always felt a particular affection for the magnificent
Cosimo de’ Medici of Florence on account of his singular virtues, and
as he also has loved us and all that pertains to us, we are bound and
obliged to love all that belongs to him. Now here in Milan Pigello
Portinaro, a Florentine citizen and merchant, the administrator and
partner in the business and bank of the Magnificent Cosimo de’ Medici
and of Piero and Johanni his sons in Milan, who has served us and the
illustrious Madonna Bianca our consort ever since he came to inhabit
this our city, about eleven years ago, with very large sums of money,
with stuffs and with jewels, and with loans of divers kinds as appear
by the entries in our private books. These services, subsidies, and
favours given by the said Pigello according to the orders of the
aforesaid Magnificent Cosimo and his sons were most pleasing and
acceptable to us because they were given willingly, and the said
Pigello carried them out and fulfilled them with great diligence,
loyalty, and love towards us, and with admirable discretion, by which
means we were enabled to arrange our affairs. Pigello made every
effort to do this with the smallest possible loss to us, and we are
sure he will continue to do so. Therefore we are much pleased and
have been well served by the aforesaid Pigello; and all the profit,
lucre, and gain that the said Pigello has made, either in their name
or in his own with us and with our stewards, officials, and any other
agents of ours, we for the above-named reasons approve of and are well
content. By this our letter we declare that they can have and hold all
without fear of contradiction or qualms of conscience, releasing and
absolving the said Magnificent Cosimo, his sons and the said Pigello,
and their sons and heirs in perpetuity from any claims; promising
for ourselves, our sons and successors, that no question shall be
raised about any profits or gains they may have made with us up to
the present day for the above said reasons, or for any depending or
arising therefrom. Because as has been said we have already, and by
this our letter we do now make a general donation of the aforesaid
privileges which is formal and binding, and is to be understood as
including all those clauses and formalities which are necessary in a
full and valid donation _de jure_; with the reservation that if any
error is discovered in the books, writing, or reasons above said, they
are to be corrected and amended in honest and just fashion; and this
is to be understood as binding upon both parties. We command all our
governors, clerks of the exchequer, and all other our officials and
subjects who see the present letter, to observe it implicitly without
contradiction or exception. And that all who see this letter may know
that it is written by our own orders, we have signed it with our own
hand, and had it sealed with the seal we always use.--Given in Milan
on the 11th day of March 1463 (1464).
Francischus Sfortia,
_Vicecomis_, &c., _manu propria.
Cicchus._[83]
The last months of Cosimo’s life were passed chiefly at Careggi, and
his great solace was in study, as the following letter shows:
Cosimo de’ Medici _to the_ Reverend Master Marsilio Ficino, _Platonist_
Yesterday I came to the villa of Careggi, not to cultivate my fields
but my soul. Come to us, Marsilio, as soon as possible. Bring with
thee our Plato’s book _De Summo Bono_. This, I suppose, you have
already translated from the Greek language into Latin as you promised.
I desire nothing so much as to know the best road to happiness.
Farewell, and do not come without the Orphean lyre.
About twenty days before his death, whilst talking to Ficino, Cosimo
bewailed the unhappy lot of humanity and exulted in the happier
prospect he felt was opening out before him. Ficino replied by citing
corresponding ideas from Greek authors, particularly from Zenocrates,
upon which Cosimo demanded of Ficino, as a last service, to translate
his treatise on Death into Latin. The end was fast approaching, and
Cosimo’s calm, rather ironical nature was not changed by physical
suffering or by the fear of death. When his wife asked him why he
remained silent for so many hours at a time, he answered: “When we go
to the villa the preparations for our departure occupy thee for fifteen
days; dost thou not understand that I, who am leaving this life for the
next one, have much to think on?”
* * * * *
A few days before Cosimo died Piero wrote to his two sons Lorenzo and
Giuliano at Cafaggiuolo, where they had been sent with their mother,
Lucrezia, on account of the plague which had broken out in Florence.
Indeed there was a report that Cosimo’s malady was the plague, and many
were afraid to visit him.
Piero de’ Medici _to_ Lorenzo _and_ Giuliano _his sons at Cafaggiuolo_