, and only escaped
punishment by flight.], which were so intolerable that he was again forced
to fly and seek an asylum at Milan under the protection of the "black
band" led by the famous Captain Giovanni de Medici. On the death of this
leader he repaired to Venice, where he lived by his pen. He began a series
of satires on princes and leading men, and earned the title of _flagellum
principum_. Aretino adopted the iniquitous plan of demanding gifts from
those he proposed to attack, in order that by these bribes they might
appease the libeller and avert his onslaught. Others employed him to libel
their enemies. Thus the satirist throve and waxed rich and prosperous. His
book entitled _Capricium_ was a rude and obscene collection of satires on
great men. His prolific pen poured forth _Dialogues, Sonnets, Comedies_,
and mingled with a mass of discreditable and licentious works we find
several books on morality and theology. These he wrote, not from any sense
of piety and devotion, but simply for gain, while his immoral life was a
strange contrast to his teaching. He published a Paraphrase on the seven
Penitential Psalms (Venice, 1534), and a work entitled _De humanitate sive
incarnatione Christi_ (Venice, 1535), calling himself Aretino the divine,
and by favour of Pope Julius III. he nearly obtained a Cardinal's hat.
Concerning his Paraphrase a French poet wrote:--
"Si ce livre unit le destin
De David et de l'Aretin,
Dans leur merveilleuse science,
Lecteur n'en sois pas empeche
Qui paraphrase le peche
Paraphrase la penitence.
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