5€6 
like Greeks; ifFrench, like the French, &c. 
As to their Tufcan claffics, far from {e- 
rioufly fudying them, they ridicule the 
very names of Boccaccio, Bembo, Cafa, 
Salviati, Ge, Ge. and becaule the cele- 
brated Academy Della Crufca have com- 
piled a diftionary trom the authority of 
the pureit authors, and written their ex- 
planatons and preface with equal ele- 
gance; in *ead of availing themielves of 
this invaiuabie treafure of Tufcan elo- 
quence; they often compofe lampoons 
aaganit thefe emineot compilers, and ridi- 
cule them by compofitions fuppofed to 
come from them, replete with all the ob- 
folcte words to be met with in their Yoca- 
bolaria; as ifthey had infinuated the uie of 
thole antiquated terms, cr adopted them 
themfelves : while, on the contrary, they 
expreflively obferve that fuch words bave 
been regiitered for the intelligence of an- 
cient avthors; and, to warn the reader 
frem adopting them, they have con- 
ftantly annexed to each either the initials 
V. A. or V. £. meaning as they fay, that 
{uch a word is either ancient or pure Latin. 
But no more of this fubject; in vain 
volumes have been written already upon 
it; and they might be doubl:d in vain. 
The evil is now too univerf{al, too invete- 
rate. Let us content ourfelves with the 
perufal of the ancient Tufcan claffics, and 
thofe who flourifhed under the Mepici; 
and let their admirable language be con- 
fidered as dead. 
Dominico Morita Manni® died while 
I was at Flerence, feventeen years ago; and 
with him the Tufcan profe was buried. 
VirTORIO ALFIERI Its now dead; and 
with him the Tuican Mu‘es are fled for 
ever.t No other qualification, no other 
* The left furvivor of the Aecademicians 
de la Crufca, author and editor of many works; 
who had a confideradle fhare in the compila- 
tion of the laft clatiical edition of the Yaca- © 
bcjaria, done at Florence, 1729. 
+Refidesnineteen tragedies, poems,&c Count 
Alfieri has diftinguithed himfelf by feveral 
works in profe, written with the greateft pu- 
rity of tyle and the moft impreffive Tufcan 
elegance, much refembling the famous tranf- 
lation of Tacitus, by Davanzati.—It is inex- 
plicable why the criticifms, with which 
the Count has accompanied the Edition of 
his tragedies, done at Paris, are written in a 
moft negligent and unclafiical ftyle, very much 
like that of his eminent opponent Ca/zobigi, 
whofe criticifms,and theCount’s replyto them, 
are found in the fame Paris edition of the 
tragedies. 
Account of Count Aifert and Tufean Literature: 
[July f, 
characteriftic ornament, no other diftinc- 
tive mark, or peculiar beauty, is left 
to the Tafcan tongue, but the exclu- 
five power of finifhing all its words in 2 
vowel.* 
Count ALFreri, Mr. Editor, honoured 
frequently the city of Sienna (my native 
place) with his prefence; and there the 
firit edition of his inimitable Tragedies ap- 
peared, under his immediate infpection, 
about twenty years ago, in three volumes 
4to. 
When I was firft called, as preceptor 
of the Tufcan language, to enjoy the 
happinefs of living in this blifsful land 
of freedom, in 1789, by the kind invita- 
tion of the late Jostah Wencwoopn, 
Efq. I did not tail to provide myfelf with 
thefe invaluable volumes, and I would 
venture to fay, that I was the firft to im- 
port them into Great Britain; fince the firft 
notice taken of them, I ever faw, was ina 
new/paper in 1791 ; and the Monthly Re- 
viewers gave an account of them in De- 
cember, 1797. 
By a chain of fortunate events, having 
been introduced to that illuftrious hifto- 
rian, WILLIAM Roscog, Eso. among 
many flattering honours and ineftimable 
favours, gracioufly beftowed upon me, 
both by him, and his amiable and learned 
friend, WiLLiam CLARKE ESO, were a 
few copies of hitherto unpublifhed poems 
of Lorenzo De” MEDICI, in 8vo, which 
have afterwards appeared again in the fe- 
cond volurne of his Life. 
I had only beena few weeks in London,’ 
when I heard that Count ALFIERI was an 
inhabitant of the fame metropolis. I 
immediately fent him a copy of thofe po- 
ems to Upper Seymour-fireet, with a letier, 
to which the Count condefcended to make 
the following anfwer. 
_ © Al Sigre: Antonio Montucei, Londra.” 
** PARDRON MIO STIMATISSIMO 
‘*¢ Recevo per mezzo del Sigr. Edvards la 
di lei cortefifiima lettera accompagnata col dc- 
no per me preziofiflimo delle rime finora ine- 
dite del gran Lorenzo. Per la fteffa via del 
Sigr, Edwards non fapendo finora dev’ ella 
abitiin Londra, mi affretto do rifpondene per 
* In the Tufcan language there are no more 
than fix monofyllables, and four-or: five words 
befides which end neceflarily ina confonant 5 
but many may he fo terminated, when har- 
mony requires it, by the ufual contraction of 
the iaft vewel or fyllable. 
ringraziarla 
