to the human race, by Janus.

Such were the cars and companies of that marvellous masquerade, the like
of which was never seen before, and, perchance, will never be seen again
in our day. And about it--leaving on one side, as a burden too great for
my shoulders, the vast and incomparable praises that would be due to
it--there had been marshalled with much judgment six very rich masks in
the guise of sergeants, or rather, captains, who, harmonizing very well
with the invention of the whole, were seen, according as necessity
demanded, running hither and thither and keeping all that long line,
which occupied about half a mile of road, advancing in due order with
decorum and grace.

Now, drawing near at length to the end of that splendid and most merry
Carnival, which would have been much more merry and celebrated with much
more splendour, if the inopportune death of Pius IV, which happened a
short time before, had not incommoded a good number of very reverend
Cardinals and other very illustrious lords from all Italy, who, invited
to those most royal nuptials, had made preparations to come; and leaving
on one side the rich and lovely inventions without number seen in the
separate masks, thanks to the amorous young men, not only in the
innumerable banquets and other suchlike entertainments, but wherever
they broke a lance or tilted at the ring, now in one place and now in
another, and wherever they made similar trial of their dexterity and
valour in a thousand other games; and treating only of the last
festival, which was seen on the last day, I shall say that although
there had been seen the innumerable things, so rare, so rich, and so
ingenious, of which mention has been made above, yet this festival,
from the pleasing nature of the play, from the richness, emulation and
competence shown in it by our craftsmen (some of whom, as always
happens, considered themselves surpassed in the things accomplished),
and from a certain extravagance and variety in the inventions, some of
which appeared beautiful and ingenious, and others ridiculous and
clumsy, this one, I say, also displayed an extraordinary and most
charming beauty, and likewise gave to the admiring people, amid all that
satiety, a pleasure and a delight that were marvellous and perhaps
unexpected; and it was a buffalo-race, composed of ten distinct
companies, which were distributed, besides those that the Sovereign
Princes took for themselves, partly among the lords o