CASTI, Giovanni Battista (1721-1803), an Italian poet, was born of humble parents at Montefiascone, in the States of the Church, in 1721. He rose to the dignity of canon in the cathedral of his native place, but gave up his chance of church preferment to satisfy his gay and restless spirit by visiting most of the capitals of Europe. In 1782, on the death of Metastasio, he was appointed Poeta Cesario, or poet-laureate of Austria, in which capacity he applied himself with great success to the opera bouffe ; but, in 1796, he resigned this post, in order that he might not be hampered by political relations ; and he spent the close of his life as a private gentleman at Paris, where he died in 1803. Casti is best known as the author of the Novelle Gal- anti, and of Gli Animali Parlanti, a poetical allegory, over which he spent eight years (1794-1802), and which, not withstanding its tedious length, excited so much interest that it was translated into French, German, and Spanish, and (very freely and with additions) into English in W. S. Rose s Court and Parliament of Beasts (Lond. 1819). Written during the time of the Revolution in France, it was intended to exhibit the feelings and hopes of the people, and the defects and absurdities of various political systems. The Novdle, Galanti is a series of poetical tales, in the ottava rima, a metre largely used by Italian poets for that class of compositions. The sole merit of these poems con sists in the harmony and purity of the style, and the liveli ness and sarcastic power of many passages. They are, how ever, characterised by the grossest licentiousness ; and there is no originality of plot, that, according to the custom of Italian novelists, being taken from classical mythology or other ancient legends. Among the other works of Casti is the Poema Tartaro, a mock-heroic satire on the court of Catherine II., with which he was personally acquainted.
CASTIGLIONE DELLE STIVIERE, a town of Italy, in the province of Brescia, 20 miles north-west of Mantua. It has a castle, a theatre, and two fine churches, and was formerly the capital of a small principality dependent on the duchy of Mantua. In 1796 the Austrians, under Wurmser, were defeated there by Marshal Augereau, who was afterwards rewarded by Napoleon with the title of duke of Castiglione. Population, 5237. This town must not be confounded with Castiglione Fioretioo, a flourish ing township, about 11 miles south of Arezzo by rail, which is chiefly engaged in the culture of the silk-worm.
CASTIGLIONE, Baldassare (1478-1529), diplomatist and man of letters, was born at Casatico near Mantua, and was educated at Milan under the famous professors Merula and Chalcondyles. In 1496 he entered the service of Lodovico Sforza, duke of Milan, returning to Mantua in 1500 when Lodovico was carried prisoner into France. In 1504 he was attached to the court of Guidobaldo Malatesta, duke of Urbino, and in 1506 he was sent by that prince on a mission to Henry VII. of England, who had before conferred on Federigo Malatesta, " the Good Duke," the most famous mercenary of his age, the order of the Garter. Guidobaldo dying childless in 1508, the duchy of Urbino was given to Francesco Maria della Rovere, for whom Castiglione, envoy at the court of Leo X. (Medici), obtained the office of generalissimo of the Papal troops. Charged with the arrangement of the dispute between Clement VII. (Medici) and Charles V., Castiglione crossed, in 1524, into Spain, where he was received with highest honours, being afterwards naturalized, and made bishop of Avila. In 1527, however, Rome was seized and sacked by the Imperialists under Bourbon, and in the July of the same year the surrender of the castle of Sant Angelo placed Clement in their hands. Castiglione had been tricked by the emperor, but there were not wanting accusa tions of treachery against himself. He had, however, placed fidelity highest among the virtues of his ideal " courtier;" and when he died at Toledo in 1529, it was said that he had died of grief and shame at the imputation. The emperor mourned him as " one of the world s best cavaliers." A portrait of him, now at the Louvre, was painted by Raphael, who disdained neither his opinion nor his advice.
Castiglione wrote little, but that little is of rare merit. His verses, in Latin and Italian, are elegant in the extreme ; his letters (Padua, 1769-1771) are full of grace and finesse. But the book by which he is best remembered is the famous treatise, II Cortegiano, written in 1514, published at Venice by Aldus in 1528, and translated into English by a certain Thomas Hoby as early as 1561. This book, called by the Italians II Libro d Oro, and remarkable for its easy force and undemonstrative elegance of style no less than for the nobility and manliness of its theories, describes the Italian gentleman of the Renaissance, under his brightest and fairest aspect, and gives a charming picture of the court of Guidobaldo da Montefeltre, duke of Urbino, " confessedly the purest and most elevated court in Italy." In the form of a discussion held in the duchess s drawing- room with Elizabetta Gonzaga, Pietro Beinbo, Bernardo Bibbiena, Giuliano de Medici, Emilia Pia, and Ceretino the Unique among the speakers the question, What constitutes a perfect courtier ? is debated. With but few differences, the type determined on is the ideal gentleman of the present day. See Ginguene", Histoire Litteraire de Fltalie, vi., vii.; and J. A. Symonds, The Renaissance in Italy, London, 1875.
CASTIGLIONE, Giovanni Benedetto (1616-1670), currently named in Italy II Grechetto, and in France Le Benedette, a painter of the Genoese School, was born in Genoa, and studied for some time under Vandyck. He painted portraits, historical pieces, and landscapes, but chiefly excelled in fairs, markets, and rural scenes with animals. His paintings are to be found at Rome, Venice, Naples, Florence, and more especially Genoa and Mantua. He also executed a great number of etchings, which are spirited, free, and full of taste ; Diogenes searching for a Man is one of the principal of these. The etchings are remarkable for light and shade, and have even earned for Castiglione the name of " a second Rembrandt." The Presepio (Nativity of Jesus) in the church of San Luca, Genoa, ranks among his most celebrated paintings ; the Louvre also contains eight characteristic examples. In his closing years he lived in Mantua, painting for the court ; here he received his name of " Grechetto," from the classic air of his pastorals, and here he died of gout in 1670. Kis brothel Salvatore aud his son Francesco excelled in the same subjects ; and it is thought that many paintings which are ascribed to Benedetto are only copies after him, or perhaps originals by his son or brother.
CASTIGLIONE, Carlo Ottavio, Count (1784-1849), an Italian philologist of considerable reputation, was born at Milan of an ancient family. His principal work was done in connection with the Arabic and other Oriental languages ; but he also performed good service in several other departments. In 1819 he published Monete Cufiche del Huseo di Milano, and assisted Cardinal Mai in his Ulphilce partium ineditarum in Ambrosianis palimpsestis repertarum editio. A learned Memoire geographique tt nwnismatique sur la partie orientale de la Barbaric appelee Afrikia par les Arabes appeared in 1826, and established his reputation. In 1829 he published by himself the Gothic version of the second epistle of Paul to the Corin thians ; and this was followed by the Gothic version of the epistle to the Romans, the~first epistle to the Corinthians, and the epistle to the Ephesians in 1834; by Galatians, Philippians, and 1 Thessalonians in 1835, and by 2 Thes- salonians in 1839. His life was written by Biondelli, and appeared at Milan in 1856.
