1825.} 
philosophy, and for the ridicule art- 
fully thrown upon the exclusive and 
intolerant partizans of every species of 
religions sect, the following expression 
Occurs in all the editions of Boccaccio, 
and, unfortunately, even in that of 
which we ate now speaking: — Un 
grande womo e ricco fu gid, il quale 
infra Valtre givie pit care che nel suo 
tesoro avesse, era un anello bellissimo.— 
Boccaccio certainly meant that the rich 
man possessed a ring: and therefore it 
does not seem likely that, to express 
such an idea, he would say that the 
man era (was) a ring. There is certainly 
an error here—so much the more se- 
rious, because it not only destroys the 
regularity of the construction, but en- 
tirely changes the sense of the passage. 
The Abbot Cesari exclaims that this is 
2 beautiful license in Boccaccio—a real 
elegance, and not an error of grammar. 
We will not venture to contend with so 
erudite a personage: but to say that 
aman és a ring, meaning that he has a 
ring, appears a license and an elegance 
beyond all human logic. He maintains 
that it was Boccaccio’s real intention 
to express himself in this manner, and’ 
put era for avea—not thinking it pos- 
sible that the copyist might have writ- 
ten one of these two different verbs for 
the other. But we ventureto repeat, 
that the intention of the author could 
never have been to transform a man 
into a ring, when his meaning was to 
say that this man hada ring: and, with 
respect to the copyist, we must observe, 
that it was not likely he should write 
era instead of avea ; he might very likely 
haye written an i for an a, and changed 
the case’ of the article which precedés 
the word quale. And here is the ac+ 
tual error, which it was an easy thing 
to avoid, and instead of saying wn womo 
«il quale [who]...era un anello, to’read 
un uomo...al quale {to whom]...era un 
amello. In this second manner of read- 
ing the verb essere [to be] is: synony- 
mous with appartenire [to belong], and 
the text is no longer equivocal. 
These instances, which we may de- 
nominate concessions made to hyper- 
critics, do not otherwise prejudice the 
beauty and splendour of this edition; 
nor at all depreciate from’ the praise 
justly due to Ugo Foscolo; who has be- 
sides enriched his work with a’ histo- 
trical discourse respecting the changes 
of the Decameron, which must be grate- 
fully received by all lovers of Italian 
iterature. Written with grace and 
Purity of style, this discourse is most 
Remedy for bad Water.—=Cruelty to Animals. 
323 
rich in learning, which is vast without 
being dull, profound without being ob- 
scure, and delicate without being super- 
ficial. Foscolo riscs to the dignity of 
an historian, when he has occasion to. 
notice the struggle of the contemptible 
passions to which the works of the 
thirteenth century so often fell a sacri 
fice at the different periods of monastic. 
and clerical sway; and the indignation, 
, which he displays in relating many 
facts, reveals the impetuosity of a true 
Ttalian, who endures with shuddering 
the outrages of imbecile tyranny, and. 
only lives in the sacred hope of one day 
seeing it destroyed. 
—z 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
Sir: 
1 answer to the inquiry of your cor- 
respondent S.E. (M.M. Aug. p.126), 
I might recommend the filtering-stone, 
as a dernier resort. But I should think 
that the simple expedient of a strong 
sieve, some six or eight inches deep, 
fitted to the top of the tub into which 
the water is received, might remedy a 
part of the evil. The shrimps and the 
coarser part of the sand would thus be 
prevented from descending into the tub. 
itself, and the animal motion thus re- 
moved, the water would so much. the. 
sooner become quiet, and the remaining. 
impurities would more readily subside ;' 
and thesieve being removed and cleansed, 
as soon as the water had ceased to come: 
in, the else inevitable taint of animal) 
putrescence would be precluded. The: 
chief difficulty seems to be,. that the 
force of the water, as it comes in, would! 
be likely soon to break through the 
sieve ; for prevention of which, I should: 
recommend, about midway of the dept» 
of the sieve, a false bottom of perforated 
tin, like that’ of the common shower 
bath, which would break the force of 
the water, and occasion it to descend 
upon the surface of the strainer ina dif- 
fused shower, instead of a concentrated’ 
stream. N. Li. 
—— 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
Sir: 
'T was noticed in one of your late 
numbers, that the inhabitants of | 
Lambeth had petitioned Parliament for’ 
the Bill against Cruelty. to Animals. 
Are the humane part of the inhabitants 
of Lambeth ignorant that their parish, 
upholds a system which is the cause of 
great humamas well as animal suffering? _ 
It is the custom of this parish not to 
let the dust to regular contractors, but, 
2T2 under 
