Of the Abbe de SA DE. 149- 



murmuring of the clear rivulets*, and tells, that rifing early to 

 hail the morning rays, he had the fortune to fee two funs rife at 

 the fame moment ; the fun that marks the vicimtude of day 

 and night, and Laura, who at that inftant eclipfed his radiance 

 by her own : the Abbe, with his ufual facility of perverfion, 

 cites this fonnet as a proof that Petrarch ufed frequently to 

 walk the flreets of Avignon before daybreak, to have the plea- 

 fure of feeing his miftrefs open her windows. 



But the moft amufing inftance of this fophiftical perverfion 

 of an author's cleared expremons, is to be found in the con- 

 ftruction which is attempted to be put on the paffage above 

 quoted from the Latin eclogue of Galatea f. 



Carpe iter ',. qua nodojis impexa capijlris, &c. 



a Take your way yonder, where you will fee the oxen yoked 

 " by the neck, and the watch-dogs guarding the entry of a fmall 

 " honfe. — -On the other fide of it is the burial-place of Gala- 

 14 tea." This has been ever reckoned as one of the moft de- 

 cifive teftimonies, that the burial-place of Laura was not in the 

 city of Avignon, but in the country. It was neceflary, there- 

 fore, to take off the force of this ftrong piece of evidence. It is 



admitted, 



■ 



* // cantar nuovo, e 7 pianger de gli augelli 

 In fit' I dlfanno rifentir le valli, 

 E 'I mormorar de' liquidi crijlalli 

 Giii per lucidi frefchi rivi efnet/i.—- 



Cost mi fveglio a falutar I 'aurora, 

 E 'l/ol, cti e feco ; e piii /' altro, oud ' iofui 

 Ne prim' anni abbagliato, e fono ancora: 



T gli ho veduti alcun giorno ambcdui 

 Levarfi infieme, e 'n un punto e 'n un hora 

 £htelfar lejlelle, e quejio fparir lui. Son. 183. Part. 1. 



+ SEE fupra, p. 138. 



Vol. V.-— P. II. U 



