CHAPTER VI 



THE PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY OF BRUNO 



THE distinctively ethical teaching of Bruno is con- 

 tained in the two dialogues the Spaccio della Bestia 

 Trionfante, and the Heroici Furori. The latter de- 

 scribes the struggles and aspirations of the "heroic" or 

 generous human soul in its pursuit of the infinitely 

 beautiful and good its efforts towards union with the 

 divine source of all things. To this more constructive 

 work, in which moral philosphy was to be treated 

 according to " the inwardjight with which the divine 

 sun of intelligence had irradiated " the soul of the 

 writer, the Spaed o was to form an introduction. " It 

 seemed well to begin with a kind of prelude, after the 

 manner of musicians ; to draw some dim and confused 

 lines, as painters do ; to lay deep bases and dark 

 foundations, as do the great builders ; and this end 

 seemed best achieved by putting down in number and 

 in order all the primary forms of morality which are 

 the capital virtues and vices." - 1 The Spaccio y with its 

 shorter appendage, the Cabala del Cavallo Pegaseo, 

 contained a bitter attack upon the prevalent forms of 

 Christian religion ; it especially attacked the doctrine of 

 the all-sufficiency of faith, which, interpreted as it then 

 was, might stand as the formula of mediaeval cor- 



1 Lag. 407. 25. 

 252 



