tialtan Literatures 
of Auguftiss He is one-of thofe who 
have deferved the beft of Italian litera- 
ture.» His ftyle is’ admirable for the 
exquilite choiceof words, He is cenfur- 
able, however, for having coniormed too 
much; by a fort of violence, to the 
genius of the Latin tongue ; herein tur- 
nithing a bad precedent to the greater 
part ot his cotemporaries. ‘ 
However great be the progre(s of phi- 
lofophy, and che exact iciences in other 
parts of Europe, and in fpite of the pre- 
jent decay of Italy m hiftory and poe ry, 
the duperiority of the Italians in hiftory 
cannot be called in queftion, What is ttill 
more*remarkable is, that the beft and 
greateft of thofe hiftorians are periedily 
pure and elegant writers. Among thele, 
Guicciardini and Machiavel take tne lead. 
Tf the iciences could be appreciated by the 
judgment of men, like works of imagina- 
tion, more diiputes would have been {tart 
ed in Italy concerning the refpett:ve me- 
rits of thefe two great political writers, 
than concerning the poetical {uperiority of 
Tafloand Arioito. Both Guicciardini and 
Machiavel are fovereigns in the fubjects of 
hiftory and politics; andthe dignity of 
their ftyle-is equal to their fentiments : 
it has been objeétcd, however, to Guic- 
ciardinmi,; that he is oftén too diffula; and 
to Machiavel; that he has fometimes 
ftumbled in points of grammar. 
In the next rank to Guicciardini is 
Bentivoglio. This excellent hiftorian 
was a cardinal, and had formerly been 
papal nuncio at Paris. He wrote the 
hiftory of the memorable war of the Ne- 
therlands, under Philip Il. of Spain. 
His ftyle is natural, eafy, pure, and 
concife. Davila, Nani; and efpecially 
Paruta,-are not’ at all inferior to Benti- 
voglio. The various hiftories of Davan- 
fati, and; above all, his tranflation of ‘T'a- 
citus, are, however, in my opinion, the beit 
calculated to give an advantageous idea 
of the Italian language to foreigners. 
It has been often objected to this tongue, 
that it is diffufe and imbecile: to avert 
this reproach, Davan{fati undertook to 
trantiate into it the moft fententious wri- 
ter of antiquity, and even to perform 
the talk with a fewer number of words. 
His ftyle is therefore ftrong end pregnant 
with: idea like the original: nor need any 
higher encomium be pafled upon him 
than to fay, that M. d’Alembert, al- 
lowed to be the moft concife of all the 
modern writers, has not been able to 
tranilate Tacitus with more precifion. 
The Italian philologiits of the great- 
e& “repute are Varchi, Caftelvetro, 
roy 
Muzio, and Beni,’ all of whom, have. 
‘greatly contributed to, the perfection 
oi the language, Their writings fur- 
nifh alike both precept and exampie. 
Varchi, a learned man of the firft emi- 
nence, was born in Florence, in the year 
1502. His principal work is the hiitory 
of his country during the laft revolu- 
tions of the republican government... 
Next to this is tne ** Ercolano,’ wiaich 
treats wholly of language. No one 
ever exprefled in Italian a philofophical. 
thought better than this elegant philo- 
loger. Cattelvetro was born in Modena, 
in the year 1505, and is celebrated. for 
his ‘* Art of Poetry.”’ Muzio, a Paduany 
was born in 1460; he left a number of 
works, one of which is entitled.«* Strug- 
gles in behalf of tbe Jialian Language.” 
Beni was born in 1552, and. was profef- _ 
for of the elles lettres'in Padua. . He 
wrote a book. called .<« L’ Anticrufca,”* 
containing judicious critiques on the an~_ 
cient Tuican writers. 97 : 
The Italiang have not exceiled in. po« 
litical declamation, nor in bar eloquence, 
In pulpit eloquence, however, Father 
Segneri, a Jefuit, is not inferior to! Maf- 
fillon or Tillotfon. He poflefles a ftrong 
and infinuating elocution, and has car~ 
ried the Italian language to its higheft 
pitch: of energy. He was born in Net~ 
tuno, near Rome, in 1694. 
Foreigners who cultivate Italian fhould, 
before they enter on the ftudy of the claf- 
fical poets, make themfelves familiar 
with two of them, whofe writings 
breathe the true genius of poetry, with- 
out the help of rhyme, figures, or com- 
mon, topies. I mean Alamanni and 
Marchetti.. Alamnni wrote anexcellent 
poem ‘¢ On Hujvendry,” which has been 
coinpared to Virgil’s ‘* Georgics.” Al- 
though he falls fhort of this. comparifon, 
ifis certain, that he has gained immortal 
honour in having been the fir to employ 
the graces of poetry on didadtic fubjectsy 
and to refeue poetry itfelf from the thral- 
dom of rhyme. Marchetti is, no doubt; 
the beft Iialian tranflator extant. In 
many paflages he has furpafled the Latin 
original of Lucretius : befides this merit, 
he will be ever dear to the Italians for 
having given to blank verfe all the ma- 
jefty of poetry. 
London. J. DAMIANI. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, BS. 
PON firk opening the third volume 
of the * Tranfixctions of the Linneax 
Society,” 1 was much gratified: by ob- 
ferving 
