178 EXAMINATION of an HISTORICAL HrPOTHESIS 



confiders his paffion for Laura. On the contrary, it appears 

 to have been his glory and pride, and to have exalted him 

 equally in his own eftcem and in that of others. 



Anima 



Da lei ti vieri Vamorofo penfero, 

 Che mentre U fcgui alfommo ben t ' iiivia, 

 Poco prezzniido quel ch' ogiii huoni dejia : 



Da lei vien Vammoja leggiadria, 

 CV al ciel tijcorge per dtjiro Jentero ; 

 Si cb' i VQ gia de la fperanza altera. Son. 12. 



Hence has my foul her nobleft aims deriv'd, 



From that pure flame ; hence rais'd her thoughts on high. 



Indignant, fpurning what the vulgar train 



Of earth-born fpirits prize. O beft of guides, 



That chear'ft with hopes, that proudly lift the foul, 



And point the path to heaven I 



" In amoi-e meo," fays Petrarch, in his dialogue with St Au- 

 gustine, " nil turpe, nil obfcoenum, nil denique praster rnag- 

 " nitudinem culpabilis." Dial, de contemptu mundi. " Ilia ju- 

 " venilem animum ab omni turpetudine revocavit, uncoque 

 " retraxit, atque alta compulit fpecflare." Ibid. " Amore acer- 

 ■" rimo, fed unico et honeflo, in adolefcentia laboravi, et diutius 

 '■ laboraflem, nifi jam tepefcentetti ignem mors acerba, fed uti- 

 " lis, extinxilfet." Epiji. ad pojl. 



To any perfon who is acquainted with the writings of Pe- 

 trarch, and efpecially with thofe wliich were compofed after 

 the death of Laura, it muft appear the moft bigotted perver- 

 fion of ideas, to maintain that they are confident with the no- 

 tion of his cherifliing a paflion for a married woman. I fliall 



here tranflate a few paflages from thofe latter poems. 



In 



