394 
life; returning again to their closets 
to finish some terribly, sarcastic 
stanzas, or capitoli, against those with 
whom they had. been. conversing, and 
feasting in the most friendly way. 
We shall. have little difficulty in 
comprehending this versatility of feel- 
ing, when we consider the polite but 
sarcastic terms on, which a modern 
controversy has been conducted, where 
nearly in the same page a champion 
of Pope is alternately vilified in the 
harshest style, and kindly invited to 
the critic’s residence to partake of 
his hospitality. But we think the sa- 
tirist must here have been indebted to 
his Italian predecessors, and scarcely 
entitled to more originality in the in- 
Vitation than other poets,—our Freres 
and our Byrons,—in catching the spirit, 
and imitating the style and versifica- 
tion, of their masters in burlesque— 
Ariosto, the Pulci, Bentivoglio, and 
Pietro Nelli, the subject of our paper. 
Without these to precede them in the 
career of humourous composition, and 
to whom they are so frequently in- 
debted, we fear our English wits 
would have appeared to much greater 
, disadvantage. We suspect that a 
noble author is nearly as well ac- 
quainted with the works of Pietro 
Nelli, as with those- of writers better 
known, though not of higher qualities 
or more distinguished in the age in 
which he wrote. Contemporary with 
some of the first poets and scholars of 
the sixteenth century, he surpassed 
many in the excellence of his satiri¢ 
genius, and a rare union of freedom 
and polished elegance in his style and 
versification. His satires, which are 
rarely to be met with, abound with 
the still rarer qualities of a playful 
imagination and original wit, which 
succeeded in extorting the praises of 
his friends no less than the fear of his 
adversaries; and have also been justly 
appreciated. by succeeding writers. 
He is ranked by Tiraboschi, in his 
“Literary History,’’ among some of 
the first comic and satiric geniuses 
who amused and abused the charac- 
ters and the age in which they lived. 
To these, he observes, we must not 
ferget to add,the. satires of Pietro 
Nelli, of Sienna, who gave them to the 
world under the name of Andrea da 
Bergamo, and entitled them, “‘ Satire 
alla Carlona,” or rough and clownish 
satires, which however may be consi- 
dered as an exquisite model for satiric 
composition. But they are deserving 
L’ Ape Italiana— Pietro Nelli, of Sienna. 
[June i, 
of severe. reprehension for their licen- 
fiousness and Jittle respect) for the 
Christian religion. 1 
To Tiraboschi we might also add 
the testimony of Hayn, who asserts 
that “these satires are extremely 
elegant, though of very rare occur 
rence.” They consist of two books'of 
satires, chiefly relating to, matters of 
public concern and notoriety; with 
severe animadyersion on some of the 
customs and manners, as wellas the 
private characters, of his countrymen, 
which sufficiently account for his 
adoption of a fictitious name. They 
were published in Venice by Paul 
Gherardo in 1548; and, as usual, 
attributed to a variety of distin- 
guished names. From these we have 
selected a portion of one of the satires, 
which we considered the least objec- 
tionable, on moral grounds, from the 
palpable absurdity it discovers. The 
reader must excuse us for so loose 
and hasty an imitation as the fol- 
lowing :— 
In Praise of the Noble Art of Thieving ; 
By Messer Pietro Nelli, of Sienna. 
To Ser Bernicco. 
Of all the fine arts, sciences, and learning, 
Our mother Nature in our need hath taught us, 
With pedagogues, who whip us to take warning 
How we are caught, the finest beyond thought is, 
That having and that heeping without earning, 
The world delights in so, °Tis worth our notice ; 
Despise not, then, my friend, the key t? unlock it, 
“You have most beautiful fingers for a pocket.” 
At least that dexterous fellow told you so, 
You sent the other day to try the galley; 
Which had I known, [ had not let you know 
The glorious way he made that-desperate sally 
Out of the wood, within a purse’s throw, 
Leaving me neither time nor power to rally. 
With pistol at ve head, and hand in pocket-book, 
Just when I would have fought and cock it, look— 
At his thief’s head, the coward ran away, 
And thus [ lost my bills, my watch, and ducats, 
And was so wroth to witness such fool’s play, 
I ne’er e’en cried, ‘‘Stop thief!” 1 could not 
brook its 
Absurdity, and laughed all the next day, 
And swore to have the fellow duck’d in buckets, 
Instead of strangling him,—he was so clever 
To stop a man, who would have stopp’d him rather. 
Well, for my loss, “man and the arms” Ill sing, 
The favourites of light-footed Mercury, 
And fingers light, that they can make and bring 
E’en something out of nothing, wonderous sly ! 
Are there who dare aspersions vile to fling 
On such a royal art? Antiquity, 
With modern times, bear witness to its worth, 
The most commanding, noble trade on earth. 
Tis generous too, and full of usefulness,— 
So useful, that if people -knew its value 
They’d make our Ten Commandments one the less, 
Strike out the eighth, and, for ‘shall not,” say 
shall you af 
On_ all occasions, stars conspire to bless, § 
Take what heaven sends you. Do not stand to 
ally. 
And tall of law, and miss the opportunity, 
Till the law comes with its d——d importunity. 
If nature made things natural to be lawful, 
Then thieving’s the most lawful thing alive; 
Self-preservation is the law most awful, + ti 
And binding on all parties, that emer a 
Man seeks his good, as beasts would have a mawful, 
And right or wrong, or both, some trade wikarive, 
nd 
