30 GIORDANO BRUNO PART 



and the mercenary, of sophists, hypocrites, barbarians, 

 and plebeians, to the strength of the rock against 

 seething waves, the philosopher adds, "I, whom the 

 foolish hate, the ignoble despise, whom the wise love, 

 the learned admire, the great honour I, for the great 

 favours enjoyed from you, food and shelter, freedom, 

 safety, harbourage, who through you have escaped so 

 terrible and fierce a storm, to you consecrate this 

 anchor, these shrouds and slackened sails, this merchan- 

 dise so dear to me, more precious still to the future 

 world, to the end that through your favour they may 

 not fall a prey to the ocean of injustice, turbulence, and 

 hostility." The merchandise of which Bruno thought 

 so highly was the Dialogue itself ; we must of course 

 allow for the grandiloquence of the dedications of 

 the time, and of Bruno's especially, but a real gratitude 

 shines through the words. 



Queen His account of the Queen must be taken much less 



seriously, although his praise of her formed one of the 

 many counts against him in Venice. " That most 

 singular and rare of ladies, who from this cold clime, 

 near to the Artie parallel, sheds a bright light upon all 

 the terrestial globe. Elizabeth, a Queen in title and in 

 dignity, inferior to no King in all the world. For her 

 judgment, counsel, and government, not easily second 

 to any other that bears a sceptre in the earth. In her 

 familiarity with the arts, knowledge of the sciences, 

 understanding and practice of all languages spoken in 

 Europe by the people or by the learned, I leave the 

 whole world to judge what rank she should hold 

 among princes." l In a satirical passage of the Causa, 

 where Bruno is proving that all vices, defects, crimes 

 are masculine, all virtues, excellences, goodnesses, 



1 L. 143. 



