PETRARCH THE AUTHOR 



St. Jerome, and there can be no doubt as to his acquaint- 

 ance with that of Seneca and of Abelard. Now, partly- 

 owing to his fondness for Seneca, and partly to certain 

 vicious ideas as to the proper function of correspond- 

 ence, Petrarch often disappoints us. The Latin letter was 

 a work of art, carefully composed, deahng with matters 

 of general interest and addressed to a large audience, 

 not merely to the person to whom it was sent. Not 

 only do statements in Petrarch's letters indicate this, 

 but we know also from various sources that, like any- 

 precious merchandise, missives in Latin attracted the 

 cupidity of the thief and often failed to reach their 

 destination. 



Letters which stand halfway between the personal 

 and the general, are those of condolence. Many of 

 Petrarch's associates were grievously troubled and 

 afflicted, and it was the part of a good friend to try to 

 alleviate their sorrows. Petrarch was not the one to 

 shirk his obligations; whether he fulfilled them suc- 

 cessfully is a different matter. A fair example of his 

 efforts is the third letter of the second book of the 

 Familiares, addressed to a Severus Appenninicola who 

 had suffered exile. A modem reader may think it 

 administers cold comfort. It begms forbiddingly with 

 a definition of the word exile, in which Servius is quoted; 

 it is full of antiquity; and one is not surprised that the 

 author has to redouble his efforts in a second letter, 

 wherein he remarks: " It pains me that what I said in 

 my preceding letter did not profit you, and I do not 



IS 



