students. In the chronicles of Piacenza,
mention is made of a Cardinal Branda Castiglione,
a Milanese, and bishop of that city, who at the
commencement of the fifteenth century founded
a college at Pavia, at which twenty-five young
men of Piacenza, selected by the bishop of that
city, were to be educated. The university was
most frequented by the Milanese. On the
death of Philip Maria Visconti in 1447, Pavia
having thrown off allegiance to Milan, the
youth of Milan were prohibited studying there.
The consequence was, that, though embroiled
in war, the Milanese established a university of
their own. When Sforza was proclaimed Duke
of Milan, the University of Pavia was again
frequented by the Milanese. The Sforza proved
themselves good patrons. Louis, surnamed the
Moor, erected a university at Pavia. A poet of
that day, Lancino Corte, has recorded in doggrel
Latin verse the fame of this university. Duke
Louis did not, however, neglect the schools of
Milan. In addition to the professorship of
Greek and elocution, he established professorships
of history and of music. Two noble
Milanese, Tommaso Grassi and Tommaso
Piatti, bequeathed large sums to the schools of
their native city (1470).

Universities also existed at Piacenza, Novara,
and Ferrara. The latter was opened with great
solemnity by the Marquis Albert of Este, in
1391. At a later period, Guarino and Aurispa
gave lectures there.

The University of Naples flourished in the
fifteenth century.

The University of Turin was founded in the
year 1405, by Louis, Prince of Savoy. He
was an adherent of the Anti-Pope Benedict the
Thirteenth, who issued a bull conferring various
privileges upon the new university. These
privileges were confirmed by the Emperor Sigismund
in 1412, and also by Pope John the
Twenty-third. Amadæus the Eighth, first
Duke of Savoy, who succeeded Prince Louis,
added new privileges to it in 1424. The plague
having committed great ravages at Turin, the
university was transferred to Chiesi, from whence
again, in consequence of the pestilence, it was
removed to Savigliano, from which town, in
1437, it was transferred back to Turin.
Additional privileges were granted by Louis, the
son of Amadæus, and by Pope Eugenius the
Fourth. For a short period the classes were
transferred to Moncalieri, but back again to
Turin in 1459.

The University of Parma was also founded
in the fifteenth century (1412). It owes its
origin to Nicholas the Third, Marquis of Ferrara,
to whom the city belonged.

As already observed, it was Pope Eugenius
the Fourth who carried out the plan of Innocent
the Seventh with regard to the University
of Rome; but the protection afforded by those
popes to education and literature sinks into
comparative insignificance by the side of the
noble patronage of Pope Nicholas the Fifth, who,
in the eight years of his pontificate, did more
for literature in Italy than all his predecessors.
It is a golden page we read in the history of
Italy, when we find that, even in the midst of
dire feuds and civil war, a neutral ground was
allowed for science, literature, and the fine arts.
The lords of Montferrat, the Dukes of Urbino,
the lords of Rimini, the Gonzaga, the Este,
vied with royal houses in furthering education
and in their patronage to literature. The
Marquis of Mantua ordered a seminary to be built
for the education of his children, to which other
children were admitted. It was a noble mansion,
with halls and galleries; on the walls were
depicted the joyous sports of children, whence
it acquired the name of "Casa giocosa." This
academy, for it soon rose to such, became
frequented by young men from France, from
Germany, and from Greece, and achieved a
celebrity not inferior to that of the first universities.

The Medici, with whose name that of
Nicholas the Fifth is intimately connected, did
good service in the establishment of libraries
and academies. When only a young clerical
student, Tomaso di Sarzana (afterwards Pope
Nicholas the Fifth) was engaged by Cosmo di
Medici to assist him in arranging the library of
San Marco, the foundation of the celebrated
library in Florence, known as the "Biblioteca
Marciana." It was Nicholas the Fifth who
laid the foundation of the Vatican library.
Clement the Fifth, when he transferred the
papal see to Avignon, carried along with him
the manuscripts which then formed the
pontifical library. There they remained till the
year 1417, when Martin the Fifth took them
back to Rome. Under the pontificate of
Eugenius the Fourth, the library was very scanty.
Ambrogio Camoldese, who visited Rome in 1432,
published an account of the libraries of the
Holy City. Amongst others, he mentions that
of Cardinal Orsini, a great portion of which had
been sent to Perugia, where the cardinal had
been appointed legate; another, especially
attached to the Church of St. Cecilia, especially
mentioning a codex of twenty-nine homilies;
another library, which he styles "Biblioteca
del Papa," distinguishing it from the
"Biblioteca di San Pietro," the latter being
probably the property of that church. He says
that he found few manuscripts of value in
either. Nicholas the Fifth undertook the task
of collecting a library on a large scale in Rome.
He sent emissaries to all parts to collect Latin
and Greek manuscripts without regard to
expense. He engaged the most eminent men to
copy them, and paid them handsomely. In this
manner he collected five thousand volumes.
Death prevented him carrying out his design of
throwing open a public library for the use of the
Romans. Pope Calixtus the Third, who
succeeded Nicholas the Fifth, spent forty thousand
scudi in adding manuscripts to the collection
commenced by Nicholas. It was not till the
pontificate of Sixtus the Fourth that the
Vatican library was thrown open to the public.

When exiled from Florence, Cosmo di Medici
founded a library in the monastery of St.
George, which he left as a donation to Venice,
as a mark of his gratitude for the hospitality he