"When for a quarter of a yeer together he after this manner had disported himself, (what martially, what scholastically), with the best qualified men in any faculty so ever, that so large a city, (which is called the world's abridgement), was able to afford, and now and then solaced these his more serious recreations, (for all was but sport to him), with the alluring imbellishments of the tendrer sexe, whose _inamorato_ that he might be, was their ambition; he on a sudden took resolution to leave the Court of France, and return to Italy, where he had been bred for many yeers together; which designe he prosecuting within the space of a moneth, (without troubling himself with long journeys), he arrived at the Court of Mantua, where immediately after his abord, (as hath been told already), he fought the memorable combat whose description is above related. Here it was that the learned and valiant Crichtoun was pleased to cast anchor, and fix his abode; nor could he almost otherwise do, without disobliging the Duke, and the Prince his eldest son; by either whereof he was so dearly beloved, that none of them would permit him by any means to leave their Court, whereof he was the only _privado_, the object of all men's love, and subject of their discourse; the example of the great ones, and wonder of the meaner people; the paramour of the female sexe, and paragon of his own. In the glory of which high estimation, having resided at that Court above two whole yeers, the reputation of gentlemen there was hardly otherwayes valued but by the measure of his acquaintance; nor were the young unmaryed ladies, of all the most eminent places thereabouts, any thing respected of one another, that had not either a lock of his hair, or copy of verses of his composing. Nevertheless it happening on a Shrove-tuesday at night, (at which time it is in Italy very customary for men of great sobriety, modesty, and civil behaviour all the rest of the yeer, to give themselves over on that day of carnavale, as they call it, to all manner of riot, drunkenness, and incontinency, which that they may do with the least imputation they can to their credit, they go maskt and mum'd with vizards on their faces, and in the disguise of a Zanni or Pantaloon, to ventilate their fopperies, and sometimes intolerable enormities, without suspicion of being known), that this ever renowned Crichtoun, (who, in the afternoon of that day, at the desire of my Lord Duke, the whole court striving which should exceed each other in foolery, and devising of the best sports to excite laughter, neither my Lord, the Dutchess, nor Prince, being exempted from acting their parts, as well as they could), upon a theater set up for the purpose, begun to prank it, _à la Venetiana_, with such a flourish of mimick and ethopoetick gestures, that all the courtiers of both sexes, even those that a little before were fondest of their own conceits, at the sight of his so inimitable a garb, from ravishing