The crown of Poland was now thrown open to candidature; and more than one of the Italian Princes thought seriously of competing for this honor.

The Grand Duke of Tuscany entertained the notion and abandoned it.

But Alfonso II.

of Ferrara, who had fought with honor in his youth in Hungary, made it a serious object of ambition.

Manolesso, the Venetian envoy in 1575 at Ferrara, relates how the duke spent laborious hours in acquiring the German language, 'which no one learns for pleasure, since it is most barbarous, nor quickly, but with industry and large expenditure of time.' He also writes: 'The duke aspires to greatness, nor is satisfied with his present State; and therefore he has entered into the Polish affair, encouraged thereto by his brother the Cardinal and by his ambassador in Poland.'[178] These embassies were a serious drain upon Guarini's resources; for it appears certain that if he received any appointments, they were inadequate to the expenses of long journeys and the maintenance of a becoming state.