PETRARCH THE CRITIC AND READER 



who, together with eloquence, rehabihtated literary criti- 

 cism. Like Cicero, he insists that morality and wisdom 

 must accompany eloquence; and, while he appears to 

 be always conscious of a real difference between prose 

 and verse style, he is prone to lay down the same rules 

 for eloquence and for poetry. When, therefore, we turn 

 to Petrarch the theorist of poetic composition, we feel 

 as though he had relapsed again into the remote past. 

 Fortunately for him, he was in his practice not entirely 

 faithful to his precepts; otherwise his works would 

 hardly have lived until to-day. Only a man like Dante 

 could work at such a disadvantage and be successful. 

 Petrarch expresses in a number of places his ideas as to 

 the true province of poetry. Perhaps the most impor- 

 tant document is the oration he made on receiving the 

 poet's crown; next is a letter to his brother Gherardo. 

 Instead of quoting them, however, I wish to cite some 

 remarks made to Nelli about his friend Rienzi as a 

 poet, which show he was not entirely blind. After 

 acknowledging that Rienzi was eloquent, he says 

 {Fam., XIII, 6): ^' I believe, too, that he reads all the 

 poets generally known, but for all that he is not a poet, 

 any more than one is a weaver who wears a garment 

 made by another's hands. Even the writing of verses 

 does not suffice by itself to earn one the title of poet. 

 This man has never composed a single genuine poem 

 which has reached my ears, nor has he applied himself 

 to such a task; and without application nothing, how- 

 ever easy, can be well done." Then, speaking of the 



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