In 1442 he at last secured possession of
Naples, and compelled Rene to withdraw from Italy. From that
time Alfonso never returned to Spain, but settling himself
in his Italian dominions, assumed the title of King of the
Two Sicilies. He obtained the surname of the Magnanimous,
from his generous conduct towards some conspirators, a list
of whose names he tore to pieces unread, saying, "I will
show these noblemen that I have more concern for their lives
than they have themselves." The surname of the Learned was
afterwards given to him from the circumstance that, like his
rival Rene of Anjou, he personally cultivated letters, and
also protected many of the leading learned men of Italy.
Alfonso was fond of strolling about the streets of Naples
unattended, and one day, when he was cautioned respecting
this habit, he replied, "A father who walks abroad in the
midst of his children has no cause for fear." Whilst
possessed of many remarkable qualities, Alfonso, as Muratori
and other writers have shown, was of an extremely licentious
disposition.
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