THE RIVER OFANTO. 61 Three miles above Barletta stands a small tower, where the Ofanto enters the sea. This, the ancient "Aufidus acer; longe sonans; violens obstrepit" ("proud Aufidus, boiling and violent"), is the last river along the coast for two hundred and sixty miles, from Manfredonia right round the heel of the boot of Italy to Taranto. It rises in the mountains behind Melfi and passing under Canosa, winds slowly past the few remains of Cannæ, where the Romans sustained their famous defeat by Hannibal B.C. 216. Strabo speaks of the vast extent of the walls of Canusium, the modern Canosa, where the remnants of the Roman army took refuge after the battle. Like so many towns of Magna Græcia, Greek and Latin were both spoken by its inhabitants; "Canusini bilingues," says Horace. Not very far off lies Venusia, the birthplace of the poet, who calls himself "longe sonantem natus ad Aufidum." Barletta recalls the famous fight, recorded in so many Italian plays, songs, and names of newspapers, the "Disfida di Barletta," fought on the 13th of February, 1503, by thirteen Italian knights against thirteen chosen French champions. Gonsalvo de Cordova was besieged in Barletta by the Duke of Nemours, and in his cavalry were many of the proudest and bravest Italian nobles. The military reputation of Italy had sunk so low that Alexander VI. sneeringly said Charles VIII. of France could ride from the Alps down to Naples with wooden spurs and a piece of white chalk in his hand, to mark the quarters for his army on the house-doors in the various towns he passed through. Some such observation was repeated by the French, then, as now, imbued with considerable contempt for their Latin cousins, and the Italians resented the taunt and challenged the French knights to combat for the honour of fatherland. Prospero Colonna, the valiant knight, and Bayard, peur et sans reproche," were named seconds, and the Venetians, then in occupation of Trani and considered neutral, were appointed to arrange the lists and name the judges from the three Latin races. "sans They selected a spot between Andria and Corato, where eighty years later the prefect of the Terra d'Otranto, Duke Ferrante Carracciolo, erected a monument to perpetuate the memory of the "Disfida." It was restored in 1846, and is commonly called the "Epitaffio" by the people; it stands in a flat field, all surrounded THE COMBAT OF THE KNIGHTS. 63 with vineyards.* Guy de la Mothe, Jacques de la Fontaine, and Charles de Forgues, were among the French champions; while the wellknown names of Ettore Fieramosca and Fanfulla da Lodi figure in the Italian list. It was established that the horse and arms of the vanquished knight should belong to his victor, and a ransom of a hundred gold ducats. According to the Italian version one Frenchman remained dead on the field, while the others were wounded and taken prisoners to the The inscription is as follows: "Quisquis Es Egregiis Animum Si Tangeris Ansis, Hic Tres Atque Decem Forti Concurrere Campo, Certantes Utros Bello Mars Claret Et Utros Fortuna Et Virtus Litem Generosa Diremit Et Quæ Pars Victrix Debuit Esse Finit. Hic Stravere Itali Justo In Certanime Gallos Hic Dedit Italiæ Gallia Victa Manus. O.-P.-T. Max. Exercitum Deo : Ferdinandus Caracciolus Erolæ Dux Cum A. Philippo Regum Max. Novi Orbis Monarca Salentinis Japicibusque Praefect. Imperaret Virtutis Et Memoriæ Causa Octagiula Post Annis Anno a Christo Deo Nato MDLXXXIII. Patriæ Gloria Monumentum Capitulum Tranense Refecit MDCCCXLVI." castle of Barletta, whence they had to send for the ransom, being so sure of victory that they had taken no money with them. The French say that at the first shock seven of their knights were overthrown; but the others defended themselves with such bravery that after a combat which lasted six hours the judges declared it a drawn battle. What misery would be saved if all national quarrels could be thus decided, and the poor peasants left to till their fields instead of fighting for the quarrels of other people! Donkeys in the Fish-market at Bari. CHAPTER VI. HISTORY OF BARI. ONE of the great charms of little-known Apulia is its variety of interest; classical scholars, artists and architects, lovers of the Renaissance, and students of queer dialects, can all find constant occupation. The country is like a palimpsest: Greek civilisation, philosophy and art is written over the remains of the ancient Japygian, Lucanian, Bruttian, and other primitive races; Roman glory and poetry over that again, until the Lombard, Saracenic. C |