1799.) Extraéts from the Port Folio of a Man of Letters. 387 
like many others give dignity to the {caf- 
fold by that fortitude, which fo well be- 
comes fuffering innocence, and is. ftill 
more fitting for the foldier, who has fo 
often looked death in the face. 
The CounT RrEZzzonICcCO. 
THE Count Gattone della Torre 
Rezzonico was born in Parma, about 
the year 1740. He was a nobleman by 
birth, and was alfo fortunate in having 
a learned father, very well known in the 
republic of letters tor his Life of Pliny 
the elder. We was early initiated into 
fcience and polite literature, and fo con- 
fiderable were his attainments, that in 
his earlieft youth he deferved the ho- 
nourable appointment of tellow of the 
poetical academy in Rome, known under 
the name of Arcadia. The reigning 
duke of Parma having ereéted in his me- 
tropolis an academy of fine arts, Count 
Rezzonico’ was appointed its prefident ; 
but, by fome mytterious viciflitudes, 
which it would be imprudent to mention 
in the prefent times, he was utterly dif- 
graced at court, and his royal highnefs 
deprived him not only of the place of 
prefident of the academy, but even of 
that of hereditary chamberlain. He was 
therefore obliged to leave Parma. He 
firft undertook long tours through Eu- 
rope, efpecially in France and England, 
during which he became completely maf- 
ter of both languages ; and at his return 
to Italy, he fixed his refidence in Rome, 
though he often made long excurfions to 
Naples and Florence, Availing himfelf of 
his ample leifure, he wrote feveral works 
in profe and poetry. 
in profe are fo trifling as not to deferve 
peculiar mention, yet from his poetical 
works he deferves to be placed among 
the beft Italian poets of his age. He 
was diftinguifhed by livelinefs of imagery, 
propriety of diétion, exaétnefs of epithet, 
and by a noblenefs of expreflion acquired 
by deep ftudy of the Greek and Latin 
clafics. His verfification, however, was 
fomething harfh, and the meaning of fome 
phrafes obicure. This refpeftable no- 
bleman died laft year in Rome, about 
fifty-five years of age. He was highly et- 
teemed by the Italian nobility, and men 
of letters, for the elegance of his manners 
and the eloquence of his converfation. 
The qualities were however, in the opi- 
nion of fome, obicured by an immoderate 
felf love, and an irrational predilection 
for his own works. It is alfo reported 
in the Italian papers that @ new diffurb- 
ance of mind accelerated his diffolution ; 
but no notice is taken of the particulars 
of this event. A complete collection of 
his poetical works in two volumes was 
printed in Parma by the celebrated Bo- 
doni, with the motto : 

Operofa parvus 
Carmina fingo. 
F. DaMIANt. 
Extracts from the Port Folio of a Man of Letters. 
HEN Cervantes wrote Don 
Quixote, he could hardly flatter 
himfelf, that the decifions of Sancho, while 
governor of his ifland, would become 
precedents for other judges. Yet we find 
a French cafe fo exaétly fimilar both in 
circumftances and in terms to one of thefe, 
that it is not eafy to fuppofe, that the 
French judge had not Governor Sancho’s 
determination in his eye, though he 
might probably not cite the Baratarian 
reports. ‘The following is a literal tran- 
flation of the cafe from VOUGLANS, ov 
the Criminal Law of France, (page 498) 
Paris, 1757. ‘* A judge having con- 
demned a perfon accufed of a rape to pay 
the accufer a certain fum of money, in 
name of damages, immediately authorifed 
the man to take back from the woman the 
money he had given her ; which he being 
unable to do on account of the vigorous 
tefiftance of the female, the judge ordered 
the latter to refund the damages, upon this 
. ‘ 
ground, that if fhe had been anxious to de- 
fend her perfon, it was more in her power 
to do fo than to defend her money.” 
SHAKESPEARE, in his witty detail, in 
“© As you ltke it,’ of the different degrees 
of giving the affront, feems to have had iu 
his eye an Italian treatife on Duelling, 
by MuTrus, printed at Venice in 1560, 
of the chapters of which the following are 
the titles—‘* Of the Lie immaterial—Of 
the Lie fpecial—Of the Lie general—Of the 
Lie hypothetical—Of the Lie dire@. Whe- 
ther Mr. SHER1DAN_ borrowed his idea 
in the ‘* Critic,” of the degrees of puffing 
from Shakefpeare or Mutius, I do not 
pretend to determine. 

Duelling feems formerly to have been 
more fyltematical than it is at prefent, 
Paris de Puteo, a Neapolitan advocate of 
the fixteenth century, confined his prac- 
tice entirely to this branch of the law, 
and 
Though his works" 

; 
