^.. of the Ahbe de SADE. 141 



the truth of that report, which gave the Laura of Petrarch 

 to the houfe of Sade. Two or three perfons, zealous in this 

 refearch, unite their endeavours for that purpofe, and their in- 

 veftigation is naturally diredled to the family burial-place, 

 which is a chapel of that church termed Capella delta Croce. 

 Among other monuments in this chapel a graveflone is difco- 

 vered, which bears no infcription ; and, on opening the grave, 

 fome bones are found, and a cafket, containing a medal and a 

 parchment. The medal has on it the figureof a very little woman. 

 Here, fay our antiquaries, is, in all probability, the figure of 

 Laura *. Around the figure are four letters, M. L. M. I. This, 

 fays one of them, (Maurice de Seves), is undoubtedly to be 

 interpreted. Madonna Laura mortajace i though it is confefled 

 that monumental infcriptions and the legends of medals are 

 rarely found in the vernacular tongue ; and though M. L. M. I. 

 might have been read twenty different ways, with as much 

 plaufibility as in the way that Maurice choofes to read it. The 

 point, then, being already fettled that this mud be the grave of 

 Laura, the parchment, to be fure, muft contribute its relative 

 evidence to the fame efFedl. This parchment, however, is found 

 at firft to be utterly illegible : a fad; not at all furprifing. The 

 wonder is, that the parchment itfelf fliould have been difcover- 

 abie : for, parchment being an animal fubftance, muft, one 

 fhould naturally fuppofe, have gone into total diflblution, in 

 much lefs time than two hundred years, when inclofed in the 

 fame coffin with a putrefying carcafe, from the juices of which 

 a leaden box, fhut only with a brafs wire, would be a very in- 

 fufficient protedion. But the parchment is faid to have been 

 adually found. It could not, however, be read without the aid 

 Vol. v.— P. n. T of 



« We do not recolleft any paffage of the writings of Petrarch which marks 

 that Laura was of fmall ftature : nor is it eafy to conceive how the medal, repre- 

 fenting only a Cngle figure, could accurately determine the fize or ftature of the per- 

 fon reprefented. 



