[50] “L’hostelerie de l’Ange,” probably now “L’albergo dell’ Agnolo” in the Borgo S. Lorenzo.
[51] Members of both these families had migrated to France.
[52] The battle of Marciano. The great hall in the Palazzo Vecchio was painted by Vasari to celebrate the triumphs of Cosimo I.
[53] The notorious Bianca Capello. The Grand Duke had married her the preceding year. The almost simultaneous death of these two at Poggio a Cajano in 1587 is one of the mysterious crimes of history.
[54] De ma taille. Although the secretary is writing the comparison is evidently with Montaigne himself.
[55] Ferdinando, son of Cosimo I. He renounced his orders and succeeded his brother in 1587. He also was at Poggio when the tragedy happened, and it was commonly believed that Bianca intended to poison him, but Duke Francesco inadvertently drank the poisoned wine. The younger brother was probably Giovanni, a son of Cosimo I. by Eleanora d’Albizzi, born in 1562. The tragic fate of this prince and of his brother Garcia is one of the mysteries of Italian family crime.
[56] Petraja.
[57] The image of the Chimera, now in the Etruscan Museum. It was dug up at Arezzo in 1559.
[58] Catherine dei Medici.
[59] This is probably one of those traveller’s hasty generalisations which Montaigne occasionally lets drop. In his second visit he modified several of his earlier statements, and a very slight inquiry would have served to show him that letters still flourished in Florence, though not so freely as in the golden time of the earlier Medici. The Accademia Fiorentina was founded in 1540, and the year following his visit saw the beginning of the Della Crusca.