ITALY" (LITERATURE.) 



the nobler language also the common property of the 

 provinces to which it hail hitherto rcinaiiu-d foreign, 

 was the aim of Gherardini's Introdusione (Milan, 

 1815). More was promised by the f'ocabolario tli-tla 

 Lingua Italiana, published at Bologna, the authors 

 <>t which are arbitrary in the explanation and appli- 

 cation of words. Bonavilla's V'ocabolario Etimologico 

 (Milan, 5 vols., 1825) hardly excited the attention 

 of the Milanese, under whose eyes it originated. 

 Homani's Teoria e Dizionario gen. de Simoni (Milan, 

 1825) seems to be more useful. Respecting the 

 history of the Italian language, we may expect 

 much from the profound researches of Benci. The 

 philological treasures of a nation, in which the an- 

 cient writers are studied with so much zeal, and 

 which is so extensively connected with foreign 

 countries, must be continually augmenting. Wher- 

 ever a line of Tasso has been found unprinted, 

 wherever the pen of Guarini has been traced, the 

 fragment lias been published with a pious devotion, 

 most probably not desired by the authors. Never- 

 theless, many interesting additions to the literature 

 of Italy have been made in this way: thus, for in- 

 stance, a work of Peter Perugino (Di uno Scritto 

 Autografo del Pittore P. Perugino ndV Archivio 

 dell' Acad. di B. Arti di Perugia* c., Perugia, 

 1820), poems of Bojardo (Poesie di Matteo Maria 

 Bojardo, Conte di Scandiano ecc. scelte ed illustrate 

 del Caval. r'enturi, Modena, 1820), poems of Lo- 

 renzo the Magnificent, Poesie del magnifico Lorenzo 

 de' Medici, Florence, 1820), poems of Luigi Alemanni 

 (Florence, 1819), a work of Montecuculi, unknown 

 till it was published by Grassi (Turin, 1820), and 

 letters of Galilei, published by Venturi (Mjpdena, 

 1821, 16mo, 2 vols.) Still greater has been the de- 

 mand for editions of the acknowledged classics. 

 Dante has been published in all shapes and sizes. 

 Among these editions, that of De Romani (Rome, 

 1820, 4to), the edition of Biagioli (Milan, 1820), 

 and one published at Roveta, iu the Rhsetian Alps, 

 by an admirer of the poet, Aloisio Fantoni (1820), 

 of which a manuscript in the hand-writing of Boc- 

 caccio was made the basis, deserve mention. The 

 edition printed from the Bartolinian manuscript 

 (Vienna, 1823) has acquired some distinction among 

 the most recent, as have likewise Scolari's explana- 

 tions (Delia plena e giusta Intelligenza di Dante, 

 Padua, 1822). Ugo Foscolo had prepared an edition, 

 accompanied with notes and commentaries, which is 

 now (1831) in course of publication at London. 

 Similar attention has been paid to Petrarca, in the 

 famous edition of Marsand (Padua, 1819, 4to.), and 

 several editions for common use. Ariosto's Orlando 

 Furioso has met with equal homage ; the edition at 

 Florence, by Molini (1821 and 1822, 5 vols.), unites 

 every thing which is required for the understanding 

 of the poet. No less care was bestowed on Tor- 

 quato Tasso in the edition made by the typographi- 

 cal society (Milan, 1823 et seq.), and hardly an 

 Italian author of note can be mentioned whose 

 works have not been carefully edited. The Societd 

 Tipografica de' Classici Italiani even undertook 

 the reprint of Muratori's Annali d'ltalia (Milan, 

 1820 et seq., 20 large volumes), trusting to the zeal 

 for collecting among travelling foreigners, anil in so 

 doing were more fortunate than the editor of the 

 Famiglie celebri Italiane, which, with all its undis- 

 puted merit, has had but a heavy sale. Since the 

 death of Morelli, the spirit of criticism, as regards 

 the classics, seems to have died. The best Italian 

 and English dictionary is that of Petronj, (Italian, 

 French, and English, 3 vols., London): Alberti (Ita- 

 lian and French) is very valuable. The best modern 

 grammars are the Grammaire des Grammaircs Itali- 

 ennct, Biagioli's Grammttire Italienne. 



Italian Literature and Learning (excluding poe- 

 try). One consequence of the irruption of the har- 

 barians into Italy was a period of darkness and 

 ignorance, as well as of disorder and distraction, 

 from whose chaotic confusion the germs of a new 

 civilization could only be developed slowly and 

 laboriously. 



First Period. From Charlemagne to the Death of 

 Otho III., 1002. The influence of Charlemagne as 

 the friend of letters and the restorer of peace was 

 favourable. We find an Italian, Petrus, deacon of 

 Pisa, mentioned as his teacher in grammar. No less 

 deserving of mention is Lothaire, who was king of 

 Italy in 823, and founded the first public schools in 

 many cities. Of the instructers in these schools, we 

 know only Dungalus of Pisa, of whom, while he was 

 still a monk at Bobbio, Charlemagne requested an 

 explanation of two solar eclipses, and under whose 

 name several works are still extant. Lothaire's 

 example was imitated by pope Eugene II., in the 

 States of the Church. The consequences, however, of 

 these institutions, although valuable in themselves, 

 were unimportant ; for competent teachers were 

 wanting, and the later Carlovingians and popes suf- 

 fered the new institutions of learning to fall to decay. 

 In addition to this, the incursions of the Saracens and 

 Hungarians into Italy, and the civil wars, had a very 

 injurious influence. There were few individuals, in 

 this dark period celebrated for learning. In theo- 

 logy, were distinguished the popes Adrian I., the 

 above-mentioned Eugene II., Leo V., Nicolas I., and 

 Sylvester II.; Paulinus, patriarch of Aquileia (his 

 works were published, Venice, 1737), Theodolphus, 

 bishop of Orleans (his works, Paris, 1646), both 

 contemporaries of Charlemagne; the two archbishops 

 of Milan, Petrus and Albertus; Maxentius, patri- 

 arch of Aquileia; and, finally, the two abbots of 

 Monte Casino, Autpertus and Bertarius. Among 

 the historians of this time, whose writings contain 

 valuable information, though in a rude and barbarous 

 style, the principal are Paulus Warnefried, surnamed 

 Diaconus, author of several works, especially of a 

 history of the Lombards, and Erchempertus, with two 

 unknown persons of Salerno and Beneveato, who 

 continued the above work; a priest of Ravenna, 

 by name Agnellus (also Andreas), who wrote a 

 history of the bishops of Ravenna; Andrew of Ber- 

 gamo, author of a chronicle of Italy from 868 to 875; 

 Anastasius, librarian of the Roman church, known by 

 his lives of the Roman bishops, and Luitprandus of 

 Pavia, author of a history of his own times. 



Second Period. From the Death of Otho III. 

 1002, to the Peace of Constance, 1183. In this 

 period, also, the condition of Italy was unfavourable 

 to the interests of learning. The Italian cities were 

 contending for their freedom with the emperors, and 

 the conflict between the spiritual and secular power 

 was no less injurious. The crusades, which began 

 at the close of the llth century, salutary as they 

 were in their ultimate influence, contributed, in their 

 immediate results, to augment the general confusion. 

 Of the popes, the ambitious Gregory VII. and 

 Alexander III. took measures for improving the 

 schools. The copies of ancient classic works were 

 multiplied, and individuals took pains to collect 

 books. Among the learned theologians of this 

 period, we must mention Fulbert, bishop of C ha rtres, 

 a native Roman ; the two famous archbishops of 

 Canterbury, Lanfranc and his scholar Ansehn ; 

 Petrus Lonibardus, teacher of theology at Paris, 

 most famous for his four books Sententiarum ; Petrus 

 Damianus ; the cardinal Albericus; Bruno, bishop 

 of Segni ; Anselmus, bishop of Lucca ; Petrus Gros- 

 solanus, or Chrysolanus, archbishop of Milan, and 

 Bonizone, bishop of Sutri. afterwards of Piacenza. 



